27 November,2023 01:18 PM IST | Mumbai | Sujay Shivalkar
Suresh Raina (Pic: AFP)
Suresh Raina was the mainstay of the Indian team for more than a decade. At the age of 33 years, he announced his retirement from international cricket in the year 2020.
Suresh Raina is the first-ever Indian batsman to score a century across all three formats. The other Indian players to score centuries in all formats are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill. On the field, Raina never took a step back to catch the ball. He made impossible catches look easy with his dives.
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The left-hander not only used to impress spectators with his batting but also showcased his fielding skills on the field. He was part of 'Chennai Super Kings' in the Indian Premier League and was popularly known as 'Mr. IPL' for his consistent performance. The veteran has also taken the most catches in IPL history which is 109 in 205 matches played. Raina is also the fifth-leading run scorer in IPL history with 5,528 runs registered to his name.
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Apart from IPL records, he played the perfect role of finisher for India in ODIs. In Tests, he represented India in just 19 matches. He smashed a century in his debut test match against Sri Lanka. In that match, he scored 120 runs in 228 deliveries laced by 12 fours and 2 sixes. His 120 runs knock against the Lankans is the only test century scored to his name.
His 100 runs against England is also one of the most remarkable knocks played by him in international cricket. Despite the fall of wickets, Raina stood strong in the middle and showed his class as a batsman. He also picked one wicket in his three-over spell conceding just 12 runs.
Back in the year 2010, in a pool match of the ICC World T20 match between India and South Africa, Suresh Raina smashed a historic century and became the first Indian batsman to score a century in T20Is.
In the ICC World Cup 2011, a 2nd quarter-final clash between Australia and India, Suresh Raina scored an unbeaten 34 runs in the second innings. The score of 34 runs is not very big but was an important run to guide India into the finals.
Suresh Raina was one of the best left-handers India won't forget.
