In his Instagram post he wrote, “It was nothing but lovely playing with you, @mahi7781 . With my heart full of pride, I choose to join you in this journey. Thank you India. Jai Hind!.”
The 33-year-old dasher from the dusty lanes of Ghaziabad was among India’s finest in the shorter versions with his dare, flair and a penchant for opening up the field.
Amazing strike-rate
The left-hander with his bat-speed and footwork made 5615 runs in 226 ODIs at a stunning strike-rate of 93.50. And Raina played his role in India’s triumphant World Cup campaign in 2011 with a delightful cameo against Australia in the quarterfinals at Ahmedabad.
A prolific scorer and sharp fielder at the junior level, Suresh Raina got his first international call-up during the 2005 tour of Sri Lanka as a 19-year-old. In the picture, he cuts a cake with fellow rookie Venugopala Rao in Chennai before the team’s departure.
Raina's debut innings was the stuff of nightmares though. He was trapped lbw first ball off Muttiah Muralitharan in Dambulla.
Raina's attacking style of batting made him a regular in India’s limited-overs sides. His first international century came against Hong Kong during the 2008 Asia Cup.
During the 2010 World T20, Raina became the first Indian to score a century in T20 internationals in St. Lucia against South Africa.
A few months later, Raina finally got a Test opportunity and he made it count, scoring a century against Sri Lanka in Colombo. In doing so, he became the first Indian to have scored centuries in all three formats.
He continued his good form with fifties in his next two Tests, including 86 against Australia in Mohali in 2010.
Raina made three half-centuries during the 2011 tour of West Indies. However, he wasn’t able to fulfil his potential in Test matches after the initial promise and managed only 18 games, scoring 768 runs with one century.
Meanwhile, he was a regular in the white-ball format. Raina made valuable 30s in the knockout matches of the 2011 World Cup, with his quick 36 in the semi-final against Pakistan getting India to a winning total.
Raina’s leadership qualities were recognised when he stood in as captain for certain tours. He led India in 12 ODIs and 3 T20 internationals.
Raina played the last of his internationals for India in 2018. His last international century came in the 2015 World Cup. He finished his ODI career with 5,615 runs in 226 matches with 5 centuries.
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Soon, he led India in the shorter formats on the tour of the Caribbean in 2011. Those were his glory days.
And in Twenty20 cricket, he was a formidable force; Raina’s exceptional fielding and steady off-spin added to his immense value. In 78 T20 Internationals, Raina notched up 1605 runs at a sizzling strike-rate of 134.87. Among former Indian coach Greg Chappell’s favourites, he could change gears with ease.
Raina began his Test career with a fighting 120 against Sri Lanka in 2010 in Colombo. He had a secure defence and a flurry of shots. However, a technical flaw against short-pitched stuff saw his Test career being limited to 768 runs in 18 Tests at 26.48.
When it came to shorter formats, Raina was a bold Indian force.
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