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An essential to get rid of any post-training muscle pain

Whether it's after training in the gym or a post-match strain, there's nothing worse than aches and pains stopping you from doing what you love. This is where massage guns become an essential piece of kit to keep you moving.

Massage guns have evolved to become the must-have gadget for sports recovery and there’s a wide selection of options to choose from. From ones with advanced LCD screens to travel-size minis – perfect for away games – there's an option out there to suit everyone.

What is a massage gun and why should use one?

If you’ve never used a massage gun before, fear not because they couldn't be simpler to operate. They are handheld machines that help relieve muscle pain and tension and are an excellent tool for giving you an effective muscle massage, and pain relief using vibration therapy. 

Most devices come with multiple attachments, specifically designed to be used on different parts of the body. There will usually be more than the one-speed setting, so you can truly personalise your experience.

So, whether it’s an overstretched leg from a tackle you didn’t quite make, or a shoulder barge you were on the receiving end for, GOAL has you covered. Here are all the best massage guns you can buy right now. 

Shop: Best massage guns for 2023

If you don’t mind investing in the best quality massage gun the market can offer, you won't go wrong with the Therabody Theragun PRO.

Voted best Kitbag accessory in the GOAL 2022 Product Awards, the newest member of the Theragun family comes with an impressive bounty of new features like built-in guided routines and app connectivity, plus, a stronger motor quieter than ever before.

A kitbag essential – loved by the likes of Trent Alerxander-Arnold and Granit Xhaka – for muscle recovery, the Theragun PRO is the ultimate tool to help you find relief after those tough games. 

The Hypervolt 2 is on the pricier end of the scale, but you’ll get the best of every feature for the money. It’s lightweight, so you can operate it with ease, and quiet enough for you to watch your favourite boxset whilst recovering post-match.

You don’t have to break the bank to get some much-needed relief from sore muscles. The MKHS massage gun packs a punch for a reasonably priced device. Plus, you get all the benefits of a much higher-priced item for a fraction of the price.

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Nothing is worse than when you’re using a massage gun, and the battery goes dead halfway through.

You won't have to worry about cutting your recovery session short with the Mebak 3 model. Featuring a three-hour run time after being fully charged, plus an LCD screen that displays the battery life in real-time.

Satisfied with his first captaincy stint, Ajinkya Rahane stressed on the fact that the team will be focussing on the upcoming T20s against Zimbabwe and be watchful of the challenge they pose

Liam Brickhill in Harare16-Jul-2015Given the potentially seismic changes currently underway in the IPL, Ajinkya Rahane might be forgiven for being slightly distracted at the moment, but the stand-in Indian captain insisted his focus was entirely on the upcoming Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe.”My only focus is on these two T20s, I’m not thinking about the IPL,” he said. “If you represent your country, your only aim is to give your best for your country and win matches for them. We haven’t discussed anything [about the IPL]. We were completely focused on the third ODI that day, and with the T20s we’ll just focus on the game. We want to give our best against Zimbabwe and win both games.”India’s next major Twenty20 engagement will come at the World Twenty20 in India next March, so every match they play until then is also part of their build-up. But, as Rahane pointed out, there’s still plenty of time to get their combinations right. “The World T20 is in the back of our mind, but we have to perform our best here. We’ve still got time for the World T20.”The Indian camp will have plenty of confidence going into the T20s against Zimbabwe, not least because of the squad’s plentiful experience in the format due to the IPL. Rahane suggested that they would still be wary of the threat that Zimbabwe pose, particularly as one or two good performances from individual Zimbabweans could spark an upset.”Yes we have experience playing IPL, guys are pretty much experienced in T20s, but in international cricket you have to perform on that particular day, even if it’s T20 you have to be at 100% on the field all the time,” he said. “Your commitment has to be up to the mark, attitude has to be very good, so yes we’ve got that experience with us but against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe we have to give our best on the field, as we did in the ODI cricket. We gave our best, our attitude was fantastic, and again in T20 our main point will be to play as a unit.”Every format has a different challenge so we have to start from scratch again in the T20s because we all know that one or two good overs for both the teams can change the momentum for any team. We have to be on our toes the whole time and play good cricket for all the 40 overs and I’m sure the boys are up for this.”With India sending a second-string side to Zimbabwe, this series had been billed as something of an audition for full national honours, but Rahane said that India would look to win games first, and only then worry about making sure players are given a chance to showcase their talent.”As a captain, your only thought is to win the series first. Then obviously giving opportunities,” he said. “But when you represent your country, your aim is to win all the games. It’s important to have trust in your team-mates, and I have trust in all of my players. We were looking to win all the three games, but in the third ODI we wanted to give an opportunity to Manish [Pandey]. [Ambati] Rayudu got injured, so we gave that opportunity to Manish. Dhawal [Kulkarni] had bowled pretty well, and we wanted to give him a rest and play Mohit [Sharma], so we did that pretty well. As a captain I felt I handled all those situations pretty well.”India were put in to bat in all three ODIs, and had to overcome the challenge of the moving ball in the first hour or so. There were still a couple of wobbles, with India losing early wickets in two of the games, but with the Twenty20s starting in the afternoon Rahane felt that batting conditions would be a little easier.”The ODI games started at 9 o’clock and here they’re afternoon games so I feel the wicket will be slightly better, but still on the slow side. We’ve played quite a lot of T20 back home, IPL and domestic cricket, so I’m sure the boys will handle the situation pretty well and are looking forward to the two T20s against Zimbabwe.”

Geraint Jones may have announced his intention to retire at the end of the season but Gloucestershire were grateful for him remaining available until September as he kept the club’s hopes of a NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final alive

ECB/PA14-Jul-2015
ScorecardGeraint Jones ensured there was no slip up from Gloucestershire•Getty ImagesGeraint Jones may have announced his intention to retire at the end of the season but Gloucestershire were grateful for him remaining available until September as he kept the club’s hopes of a NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final alive. Jones’ 40 in 30 balls, on his 39th birthday, helped steer Gloucestershire to a five-wicket win over Hampshire in a low-scoring contest at Cheltenham.Chasing only 117 to win, Gloucestershire slipped to 44 for 4 in the eighth over before Jones and Benny Howell, who made an unbeaten 31, steadied the chase with a stand of 61 in 8.4 overs. A couple of dropped catches later, the target was reached with eight balls to spare.”I have batted in that sort of situation so many times and experience definitely helps,” Jones said. “Benny Howell was really calm out there and the bit of drizzle made the ball come on a bit quicker so I could play through the line. It was our best bowling and fielding display in the competition this season and showed the potential of the team. The frustration is that we have not been consistent enough, but that is where we are as a group and there is every prospect of success over the next couple of years.”Hampshire were bowled out for just 116 after losing the toss in overcast conditions on a pitch assisting all types of bowling. James Vince top scored with 32, while Craig Miles returned 3 for 25 in an excellent bowling and fielding display. Hampshire batted from the start as if they didn’t trust the Festival pitch. A six over square leg from Michael Carberry and some sweet drives from Vince were rare shots in anger during a Powerplay that yielded only 38 runs as Miles bowled three overs for 19.Carberry was bowled by Miles in the third over, the ball after his six, and Adam Wheater was content to push singles to give the strike to Vince, the one batsman who appeared at home. The Hampshire captain had moved to 32 when caught at long-on off Howell with the score 57 in the ninth over. Wheater fell in the same over, a double wicket-maiden for Howell and at the halfway stage of their innings Hampshire were becalmed on 62 for 3. Owais Shah drove a catch to long-off to give Jack Taylor a wicket before Tom Smith claimed his 23rd victim of the competition as Sean Terry was bowled on the back foot.Will Smith provided brief acceleration with a six and four off successive balls from offspinner Taylor in the 16th over, but wickets continued to tumble and Hampshire managed only 13 off the last four overs, with last man Jackson Bird being run out off the final ball.Soon it was Gloucestershire struggling with the bat. The competition’s leading run-maker Michael Klinger went lbw to Jackson Bird for a duck in the opening over and by the end of their Powerplay the hosts were 39 for 3. Ian Cockbain was run out when sent back attempting an unnecessary third run, while Chris Dent, on 23, clipped Chris Wood straight to Joe Gatting at midwicket. It was starting to look a close contest when Peter Handscomb was bowled behind his legs by Danny Briggs for 7.But Jones soon set about steadying the ship with some confident strokes. The England Ashes winning wicketkeeper hit three fours and two sixes in his 30-ball innings before being bowled by Vince with only 12 runs needed. Howell offered excellent support in a fine individual all-round performance, following his 2 for 15 from four overs with some well-timed strokes.Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said: “We probably didn’t assess the pitch quickly enough. As it turned out 140 would have been a good score, but we tried for more and lost wickets. It was an advantage to bat second, but we couldn’t do that and came up short. We now have to go to Hove and if we can win there I believe qualification will still be in our own hands going into the final group match.”

Eighty-six runs short of the record for most runs by a West Indian, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been left out of the first Test against Australia on June 3

ESPNcricinfo staff30-May-2015Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been left out of West Indies’ 14-member squad to face Australia in the first of two Tests starting June 3. He is 87 runs short of breaking the record for most Test runs by a West Indian, but has hit a trough of poor form and both chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd and coach Phil Simmons had felt he did not have a place in their best XI.Chanderpaul made only 92 runs at an average of 15.33 in the three Tests against England in April and May. He has had six single-digit scores and only one fifty in his last 10 innings.Meanwhile, the uncapped duo of Shane Dowrich, who scored twin fifties against the touring Australians, and Rajindra Chandrika find a place in the team.Changes to WI squad from the England series

In: Shane Dowrich and Rajindra Chandrika
Out:Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Smith and Carlos Brathwaite

Dowrich, the 23-year old wicketkeeper batsman, peaked over the last two years in first-class cricket, averaging 50.18 against his overall figure of 37.46. He struck three centuries and seven fifties in that period, including a career-best unbeaten 131. Chandrika, the 25-year old batsman, averages 25 as well in first-class cricket. But his selection into the national squad comes on the back of better recent form. Apart from the 74 he hit against the Australians, he’s struck four fifties this year in the Regional four-day tournament.Opening batsman Shai Hope, who made his debut against England, retains his spot. Spinners Devendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul, who played only one of the three Tests of that series, have kept their places as well. The fast bowling will be headed by Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Jason Holder and Shannon Gabriel.West Indies squad for the first Test Denesh Ramdin (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajindra Chandrika, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor

Wrexham midfielder Elliott Lee perfectly summed up the club's emphatic 6-0 win over Morecambe on Saturday.

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Lee assesses Wrexham's win over MorecambeCongratulated Paul MullinMullin netted a hat-trick against former clubWHAT HAPPENED?

Wrexham star Paul Mullin netted a hat-trick against his former club Morecambe as the Welsh club registered a thumping 6-0 win on Saturday in a League Two clash.

After the emphatic win, midfielder Lee took to Instagram where he shared the club's full-time post and congratulated his colleague Mullin for scoring a hat-trick and also breathed a sigh of relief for successfully crossing the 19-match mark with four yellow cards to his name.

AdvertisementWHAT ELLIOT LEE SAID

In his story, Lee wrote, "Three points. Hat-trick for my mate Paul Mullin and yellow card threshold completed!

Elliot Lee InstagramGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

After missing the start of the season due to a punctured lung – which he suffered during a pre-season match against Manchester United in the US – Mullin is slowly regaining his form from the last season. In the ongoing campaign, the striker has scored nine goals and provided two assists in 14 matches across all competitions.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

After a setback against Accrington Stanley last week, the Red Dragons are back to winning ways and have climbed up to the second position on the league table. They will next face Harrogate Town on Tuesday.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza conceded that despite the loss to India in the quarter-final the World Cup was a “brilliant tournament” for the side with plenty of positives, specially in the batting

Devashish Fuloria at the MCG19-Mar-20151:58

‘Feel proud as captain of this team’ – Mashrafe

A quick finish loomed when Nasir Hossain, the last of Bangladesh’s specialist batsmen, was caught at cover in the 43rd over. In came Mashrafe Mortaza, the captain, trudging slowly across the unending outfield. An over later, he was walking the same length again with that gingerly walk – head down, a man disappointed by the manner of surrender in Bangladesh’s biggest match after a season of pluses. One over later, Bangladesh’s exit was a reality.The MCG’s dimensions can be disconcerting, more so when you have to walk them again and again, contemplating the past month, the highs of qualifying after fighting wins, and ruing missed opportunities.When Mashrafe arrived at the media centre a few minutes later, he had done another long walk from the other side of the ground. He sat with a pale expression, hands brushing the hair, and spoke in a low, cracking voice, keeping his answers brief, till he finally caught a draft of positivity and opened up about the team’s campaign.”It was brilliant tournament for us,” Mashrafe said. “Obviously the way we played today, it wasn’t great, but most of the players in our side, from 2008 haven’t had any cricket in Australia. So it was a real ask for us. But the way the boys adjusted to the wickets and conditions, I feel very proud as the captain of this team, and hopefully our boys will take it in the next series.”I think, except today, our batters have batted really well throughout this tournament, which is much needed for us,” he said. “And hopefully they’ll continue because a very tough year is coming for us. And I think the confidence we got, hopefully it will continue.”The quarter-final loss brought to an end an encouraging World Cup for Bangladesh, a tournament which had contributions across the board, not just from the big-name players. That synergy worked in their favour again as they found a controlling mechanism after conceding 75 in 16.3 overs to India’s openers.For the next 15 overs, Mashrafe seemed less a captain and more a traffic warden: he would stand next to the stumps and wave his hands to set the fields just right. A few edges were found, but India slipped through the grip to counter in the last stages. From that point, Bangladesh could not recover.”I think our plan was to stop singles,” he said. “Yes, they can hit three, four or six, but our plan is to stop singles, and I think our plan was pretty good. We were a bit unlucky that we couldn’t get a wicket at that time. If we could get one wicket it would be much better for us, but the way Rohit and Suresh played, it was brilliant. Hopefully it will carry on for them, and good luck to India.”We always knew that they’ll come hard after 35 (overs) they have been brilliant after 35. They take calculated risks, and they’ve had success. Once again, we couldn’t bowl with our plans, and that was the moment, during bowling time.”India scored 147 runs in the last 15 overs. It was during this period that Rohit Sharma was reprieved by the umpires after he hit a high full-toss straight to the fielder at deep midwicket. The umpires deemed it too high, although replays showed it would have been fine.Mashrafe protested the decision, but that moment gnawed hard on Bangladesh’s concentration. Misfields crept up, bowlers served up length balls at the death earning ire from the captain, and another no-ball was conceded because there were not enough fielders in the ring. It was in that period that Bangladesh appeared stretched and they never recovered.However, once the disappointment of the loss settles, Bangladesh can look back at the strides they have made on this trip. The batting gains in Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman, the bowling form of Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed, the return to confidence of Nasir, and that new-found edge in temperament. Think of how broken this side was six months ago. Under Mashrafe, the old-timer, they are already on the path of recovery.

England players met a 100-year-old fan who went viral on TikTok for her heartwarming reaction upon receiving a Lionesses shirt as a gift.

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England players meet 100-year-old fanWent viral for a heartwarming videoPraised Mary Earps for her goalkeeping prowessWHAT HAPPENED?

A 100-year-old England women's national team fan, named Lyn, went viral on TikTok due to her heartwarming reaction upon receiving her first-ever Lionesses shirt as a gift.

Recently, the English players sat down with her at St George's Park, and Manchester United star Katie Zelem suggested that they should do a TikTok dance collaboration – to which Lyn suggested they should try 'The Jitterbug'.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPGettyWHAT LYN SAID TO THE LIONESSES

Lyn told the players that she regularly watches them in action and singled out England and United goalkeeper, Mary Earps, for praise.

She said: "I always sit with this [shirt] when you are playing. I love seeing you play. And Mary, the goalkeeper, how she saves the goal. I am full of life today. Still going. But they've been feeding me up today, I'll need a bigger size!"

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

Sarina Wiegman's side, who are currently third in their group in the Women's Nations League, are set to face England and Scotland in the competition on December 1 and 5 respectively. Earps and Zelem will be in line to feature in both games before returning to club duty at United, who will next face Tottenham in the WSL on December 10.

Longest-ever unbeaten streak, most consecutive wins in all competitions, managers with the longest reign – Goal rounds up other European records

On February 22, Real Madrid will celebrate a historic 1000 days of being European champions after three consecutive years of winning the Champions League.

It is hard to remember a time when Los Blancos were not Champions League winners, and could very well win a fourth trophy in a row this season.

As the Spanish giants reach a victorious millenium, Goal looks into other momentous record-breaking feats in European football…

GettyMost consecutive Champions League titles – Real Madrid & Bayern Munich (3)

After defeating Liverpool 3-1 in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev, Real Madrid won their third consecutive European title in a row. It is a feat that has not been achieved since Bayern Munich in the early 1970s.

Not only did Los Blancos equal the record for most consecutive Champions League titles won by a single team, but they also extended the record of most European trophies won by a club (13).

Should they be successful once again this year, they will set a new record of being the first team in history to win four consecutive Champions League trophies (not to mention their fifth in six years).

AdvertisementGettyMost consecutive Premier League title wins – Man Utd (3)

When the Red Devils won the Premier League for a third straight season in 2009, they equalled their own record for most consecutive league titles won by a club (which they set themselves between 1998 and 2001).

In doing so, they stretched the record of most top-flight titles won by a team in England to 20. They surpassed the record set by Liverpool in 1990 of most top-flight wins when they clinched their 19th title in 2011, thus leading them to adopt The Courtneers’ hit song ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ as their anthem of celebration.

GettyLongest unbeaten league run – Steaua Bucharest (104)

The Romanian side’s 1986 European Cup victory against Barcelona marked the start of an incredible run that saw them go 104 domestic games undefeated, starting from June 1986 to September 1989, setting a world record in the process.

They went on to win consecutive Liga 1 titles during that remarkable era while they also hold the record for most Romanian top-flight titles won (26).

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Longest-serving players at one club – Paolo Maldini & Francesco Totti

True one-club men are one in a million, and the football world must have done something right to bear witness to the greatness of Paolo Maldini and Francesco Totti for AC Milan and Roma, respectively.

The Italian legends are currently the longest-serving one-club men (from the top-five European leagues), with both careers spanning a momentous 25 seasons each.

Maldini has registered more Serie A appearances (647) than Totti (619), but both are just two of a rare breed of footballers who have pledged their entire senior careers to one club.

Should he be one of 11 Australian cricketers lifting the World Cup aloft at the MCG on March 29, Brad Haddin may well decide to call time on a limited overs career dating back as far as the summer of 2000-01

Daniel Brettig19-Feb-2015Even if he can’t put his finger on a precise date, Brad Haddin knows he is not far from the end of his ODI career. Should he be one of 11 Australian cricketers lifting the World Cup aloft at the MCG on March 29, Haddin may well decide that is the moment to call time on a limited-overs career dating back as far as the summer of 2000-01.”I haven’t really thought about when I’m going to pull the pin but it obviously looks like I haven’t got many one-day games in front of me,” Haddin said in Brisbane. “From my point of view I’m just enjoying this whole campaign of a World Cup. It would be good to be around in a month’s time at the MCG for the finale. It would be a great way to sign off from one-day cricket but I haven’t really thought about when I’m going to pull the pin. It’s getting close, definitely from one-dayers.”Haddin’s uncertainty about the date of his ODI retirement contrasts with the total clarity he presently has about his role in the team at this tournament. Vice-captain, wicketkeeper and sergeant-major in the field, Haddin has also been commissioned alongside James Faulkner as the man to finish off the innings at No. 7 in the batting order.He is revelling in the job, as evidenced by a freewheeling 31 against England on Friday, and spoke of it as a matter of either regaining momentum after earlier wickets or maintaining it in the wake of strong top order innings. “I think with that [role] is the momentum of the game,” Haddin said. “Whether you’ve got to change momentum or whether you’ve got to concentrate on just getting off strike to get Maxi, Marshy or Faulkner back on strike. Whether you need to take a risk early in your innings to let the set batter just bat through the innings.”You’ve just got to sum it up. My role is really to change the momentum of the game, to just make sure it’s going in our favour as much as it possibly can. I enjoy that role, especially in a tournament where you’ve got time to practice that role, you practise techniques that are a little bit different to what you would do batting at the top of the order or getting ready for a Test match. I’ve enjoyed getting ready, knowing that’s my role in this tournament.”This is Haddin’s third Cup campaign, and his time around the Australian side dates back far enough to have included their one and only loss to Bangladesh – at Cardiff in 2005. That match was remembered as much for the dropping of Andrew Symonds for turning up in an unfit state to play as it was for Australia’s defeat. Haddin recalled it with a rueful smile before summing up the challenged posed by a team Australia have not faced in a 50-over contest since April 2011 in Michael Clarke’s first series as fully-fledged captain.”Was that Simmo’s game? Yeah, that was a good one. I don’t remember much. Neither does Roy,” Haddin quipped of a time when as reserve wicketkeeper he was more than partial to the odd late night. “Obviously they’re a very dangerous team. They’ve got some match-winners. They’ve got the number one allrounder in the world who I dare say would be pretty keen to make a name for himself here.”They’ve got some very dangerous players and if they play with no fear they can be a very dangerous team. And on their day they can match it with anyone. So we’ve got to make sure we tighten up a few things that came out of the last game and make sure we’re ready to play. And especially with the weather around it’s even more important to make sure were ready to go, whatever the length of the game.”The weather currently hovering around Brisbane makes it difficult for anyone to predict the length or even the occurrence of a game on Saturday. The Gabba’s centre square and practice pitches remained fully covered for the length of Australia’s low key morning session at the ground, Haddin resorting to the indoor nets to hit a few balls before stating that four quick bowlers was an option given the likelihood of a greenish strip being unveiled.”Probably if there wasn’t any weather around, that possibility would have been slim but now with the weather around there is definitely a possibility that we may go in with four,” he said. “It’s actually hard to give you a team or what we’re really thinking because we’re so unsure of what’s going to happen with the weather and what’s going to happen when they pull the covers up so we’ll just be guided on that. It is something that we will consider.”All that is certain about Saturday is that Clarke will play, having ticked all the boxes required of him by the team’s medical and fitness staff to ensure his readiness after hamstring surgery. There remains an element of risk in Clarke’s return six weeks since the procedure, but Haddin spoke for the team when he said the captain’s return would provide a welcome change to weeks of stories about his recuperation against a strict deadline.”It’s great to have our captain back,” Haddin said. “This was the plan all along for Michael to be right for this game. I don’t know what you guys are going to do over the next couple of days because you might have to think of some questions about the World Cup rather than Michael’s hamstring. But he’s on track to play so that all I’m going to talk about it. The plan hasn’t changed for us. You guys are going to have to think of something else to write about…”An impending retirement, perhaps.

Suresh Raina said he had used his break from international cricket to make ‘small changes’ to his mental framework to help him make big scores

Sidharth Monga at Trent Bridge29-Aug-2014When India came out to train for the first time after their demoralising three-day defeat in the fifth Test, Lord’s welcomed them with cold weather. All eyes were on the new team director Ravi Shastri and support staff, but well before everyone came out, Suresh Raina was in the middle taking catches. Raina is usually an enthusiastic soul, but this Raina had had a bit of a break, a bit of a heartbreak too, after being dropped from the ODI side and was even keener. More sorted, was his assessment. He said the axe hurt him a lot and all but said that that break actually helped him a lot too. He has scored a hundred in his first innings here, but he will have to make sure this is the first of a few.When asked what particular changes he might have made to his game in the time spent outside the team, Raina said, “Changes are mostly mental. When you are playing so much continuous international cricket, you don’t realise what weaknesses have crept into your game. Then when you sit alone you analyse your game, you meet your seniors. They all have an opinion, you pick the best ones from them. They have helped me a lot.”I would say you also become a better person. You spend time with your family, with your loved ones, and they nudge you into the right direction. Cricket is a passion for me. I have always enjoyed playing cricket. I am always on a different energy level when I play. I have always been positive. But during this time I discussed small little things with my coaches. Small things that you don’t realise have crept into your game. Did a lot of video analysis. Saw my graphs. Made the changes. Feels good now. Hopefully I can continue this.”What exactly did he work on? Raina said it was mostly the mental aspect of converting the 30s and the 40s into big innings. “I analysed a lot after I was dropped,” he said. “I was hurt. It was frustrating that I had enough scores of 30-40, but wasn’t converting those. I was batting well, everything was going right, but I wasn’t converting those. Then I went to domestic cricket, did well in the IPL.Suresh Raina: Have worked a lot with lefties. Here I have Duncan Fletcher. Stephen Fleming [the Chennai Super Kings coach] is also leftie. Gary [Kirsten] too•Getty Images”Trained a lot in Bombay. Praveen Amre has been working with me for a long time. Sachin Tendulkar would also come there sometimes. Spoke to Sourav Ganguly also. Discussed for two-three months as to how I can improve in overseas conditions. I improved as a person. The hunger inside grew. I realised the extent of competition, and at the same time you are a senior batsman so there is extra responsibility. I have improved my concentration a lot.”That unwittingly raises a point about the schedules, for India players will not openly criticise them. And this is coming from a player who has been on the international scene for nine years, although it is hard to tell with Raina, who is hoping once again that this innings will begin a turnaround that gives him a settled role in the side. Raina says he likes No. 5, and that he has worked towards getting better at it.”At No. 5 you can control the game,” Raina said. “Over the last eight-nine years, I have played at all spots. I have usually had MS [Dhoni] batting with me. I have learnt a lot while batting with him. At CSK, I had Michael Hussey to bat with. Have worked a lot with lefties. Here I have Duncan Fletcher. Stephen Fleming [the Chennai Super Kings coach] is also leftie. Gary [Kirsten] too. Have spent a lot of time talking to Gautam [Gambhir], when I was in Delhi during this break.”No. 5 is a challenging position. You can control the game from there, at the same time you have high responsibility. You know that after Dhoni and [Ravindra] Jadeja, you don’t have much batting. Over the years I have learnt how to bat with the tail. The two innings that I played in the World Cup, they were with the tail. There, I began to believe I can put together good partnerships with the tail. That there is no need to play rash shots with the tail. I have improved slowly.”The two innings he spoke about were his 34 not out and 36 not out in the quarter-final and semi-final. The quarter-final runs were scored alongside Yuvraj Singh. Raina can be forgiven such slips of memory if he keeps scoring hundreds of the quality of Cardiff.