Suresh Raina: Crossing The Finish Line

Like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in basketball, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in the NFL and Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta in football, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni in cricket were reckoned as one of the finest pairings in the sport. In the case of all legendary duos, one is the yin to the other's yang. To mention one without the other would be inexpiable. The dynamic duo have been together in all their highs and lows, both in international and domestic cricket competitions, and now, Suresh Raina has followed MS Dhoni in retirement. In an emotional post on social media, addressing his fans and his favorite captain, whom he often refers to as 'Mahi bhai', he wrote: "I choose to join you in this journey."

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wasted no time in hailing the "attacking left-handed batsman" in a statement saying: "Suresh Raina is the youngest-ever T20 International captain of India and is also the first from the country to complete the treble of centuries in all the three formats of the game." Raina's performance in crunch situations first came to the limelight in February 24, 2004, against the West Indies in the Under-19 World Cup in Dhaka. Having won the toss and electing to bat first, the Indian Under-19 team was in a spot of bother at 69 for 3. At that stage, a 17-year-old Suresh Raina strode to the crease with confidence, and his gritty innings of 66 runs helped India set a formidable total of 253 runs for the Windies to chase. India emerged victorious in the game by a margin of 96 runs.

Raina was commended on his ability to absorb the pressure, and many hoped that this was an indication that the boy from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh would bring bigger laurels for the country and the sport. The early periods of Raina's career coincided with the flamboyant youngster from Jharkand- MS Dhoni, whose 'paddle sweep' and flicks were creating a buzz in the team. In the years to come, Dhoni would become one of the world's best skippers, the other became a stalwart of the Indian team in limited-overs. Under Dhoni's mentorship, the cricket southpaw was at the center of the paradigm shift in the Indian team's fitness and fielding abilities. A live wire on the field, Raina performed on the field as his life depended on it.

Suresh Raina was set to step in and take over Mohammad Kaif's role in the Indian team. But his ODI career began in an unpropitious fashion, falling for a golden duck against Sri Lanka in 2005. But his ever-smiling face and a humble attitude would triumph all odds with great vigour in the years to follow. In an infamous two-year spell between 2005-2007, former Indian coach Greg Chappell led the team to some of their lowest moments. However, he was successful in identifying Raina's raw talent, and later, Dhoni's attention turned towards the bowling skills of Raina. The skipper knew well on how to utilize his right-arm off-spin bowler's skill and this beneficial to both to the Indian team and their franchise cricket team, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Every time Dhoni needed a wicket, he turned to Raina who had a knack of breaking crucial partnerships. Even in the bowling department, it was never about numbers for Raina.

The dynamic duo of Dhoni-Raina played 73 innings together, in which they have scored 3585 runs at an average of 56.90 and often came together in crunch times to take their team across the finish line. Raina's career also included a stint of captaincy, where he led India to a 3-2 series victory in West Indies and a 2-0 win over Bangladesh in ODIs and 2-0 T20I series win in Zimbabwe. He began his Test career with a century and became the first Indian cricketer to score a century in all three formats of the game (ODI, Test Cricket and T20 cricket) in 2010.

Some of Raina's most memorable contributions to India are not the matches where he scored centuries or even fifties. His knocks against Australia and Pakistan in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup are easily forgotten, but they were match-winning contributions. His knock of 34 runs off 28 balls against Australia, which was overshadowed by the emotions from Yuvraj Singh ensured that India would qualify for the semi-finals. In the very next match against Pakistan, he walked to the crease at 187/5, when India had just lost Sachin Tendulkar (85). A steady inning of 36 runs off 39 balls from Raina even as the wickets kept tumbling at the other end helped India mount a competitive total of 260 runs at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, India.

Those two innings, although underrated, encapsulated Raina's temperament as a finisher and a veteran in India's middle-order batting line-up. The self-less cricketer put his team first, who walked the shadows dipped in glory. As he walks into retirement from international cricket, there will be high expectations on him when he walks onto the field in the yellow jersey of the Chennai Super Kings team. Fondly nicknamed as 'Chinna Thala' by the fans, he is set to join his captain Dhoni for the upcoming 2020 Indian Premier League season in the United Arab Emirates.

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