Suresh Raina has been in good form off late for India, and is rightfully seen as one of the best finishers for the team in limited-overs cricket.
Raina played a sparkling half-century against the Sri Lankans in the third one-day international to guide his side to victory. However, being seen as a one-day specialist is not enough for the southpaw. The 25-year-old said he was hoping to get a promotion to the top order, in order to make a case for him to be included in the Test side.
"I would love to move up the order," Raina told reporters ahead of India's fourth one-dayer against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. "If I get to bat up the order I can play more overs and score more hundreds.
"I have scored only three (ODI) hundreds in my career. I need to play longer innings and score more runs, so that I can come back into the Test team."
The Chennai Super Kings batsman, however, has been found out on the short ball leading to many believing he is not fit to play the longer, more revered, version of the game. Raina, however, insisted he had been working on his batting with coach Duncan Fletcher. "I have been discussing my batting with Duncan Fletcher," the left-hander said. In Twenty20 and 50 overs you have to play your shots.
"I am now looking to duck the (short) ball. At the same time I need to score runs, so I need to tap the ball and take singles. It's all mental.
"If you are playing Test cricket, you have to duck the ball. In England I did not do well. I got out once to the short ball and four-five times to Swann. Still, I have done well in Test cricket. I need to do well in two more (ODI) games and then I can be available for the No 6 or No 7 slot."
Raina admitted India's job in Sri Lanka was not over yet, having set some targets going into the series. "We are looking good as a team and if you see we had a plan to score four-five hundreds as individual batsmen and we have done it twice.
"Virat (Kohli) and Gautam (Gambhir) scored hundreds, Viru bhai (Virender Sehwag) fell short but, our goal is yet to be reached. The tour is yet to finish. Two more games remaining."
Raina has made batting with the tail-enders look easy, revealing his primary job in the final overs, was to be at the crease till the last ball. "I have learnt over the years how to bat with the tail-enders but luckily, in the last game I was batting with Irfan (Pathan). I knew he is an all-rounder so he has done really well," he said.
"But for me when you get 15-20 overs I have to bat till the last ball. I have to bat during the batting Powerplay. So I need to play my shots as well as take singles and twos. If I bat with Mahi (MS Dhoni) then I know I can play big shots because he is there at the other end.
"But if I am batting with the likes of (Ravichandran) Ashwin, Irfan, Zak (Zaheer Khan), I have to take strike in the last three-four overs so my job is to play till the last ball."
