Suresh Kumar Raina is unarguably most known among cricket fans for becoming the first Indian to achieve a century in all three forms. Raina, who was born on November 27, 1986, is a left-handed batter and a capable spinner who has aided former captain MS Dhoni with a few decent overs in the midst of innings. He’s noted for his acrobatic fielding abilities as well as his ability to cheer on his teammates throughout the innings. Raina has made a huge impact on India’s lower-middle order, winning many games on his own.
After his outstanding achievements in the 2004 U-19 World Cup and the U-19 Asia Cup, the selectors took notice. All of his achievements in domestic cricket paid off when he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Uttar Pradesh against Assam at the age of 16 in February 2003, although he did not play another match until the following season.
One day International (ODI)
On July 30, 2005, Suresh Raina made his One-Day International debut against Sri Lanka. After a strong start, his form fell over the next year, followed by a devastating injury, putting an end to his career in the latter half of 2007. Raina had evident potential, but he needed to translate it on the field as well. In 2008, the IPL Caravan made its debut.
Raina spent the first part of the 2011 Cricket World Cup on the side, as captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni opted for the in-form Yusuf Pathan. This remained the case until Raina replaced an injured Virender Sehwag in the group game against West Indies.
Raina won the World Cup for us with several vital knocks, according to Gary Kirsten, ex-coach of Team India.
He also appeared in the 2015 World Cup, where he had a number of notable cameos and even hit a century against Zimbabwe in the last league match.
The last thing the rival team wanted was Raina in top form. He has the ability to score 40-50 runs in fast succession towards the conclusion of an innings, bowl a few frugal overs, and save important runs for his team in the field.
Twenty20 (T20)
If there is one format in which Suresh Raina has totally dominated, it is T20 cricket. On December 1, 2006, he made his T20 debut against South Africa.
Raina has retired from all forms of cricket, but his T20I record is outstanding. He has 1,605 runs at an average of 29.18 in 78 matches played, with one century and fifty fifties.
Raina has the greatest unbeaten score of 126 in T20s, with an average of 33.47. In this format, he has 48 half-centuries and four centuries.
Apart from Raina, the only two batters in the top ten list of T20 run scorers are Virat Kohli (7833) and Rohit Sharma (7795)
Suresh Raina made his Test debut in July 2010, five years after making his ODI debut, against the same opponents—Sri Lanka. On his Test debut, he hit a century.
When Raina stepped in to join Sachin Tendulkar, Sri Lanka had declared 4/642 and India was in trouble at 4/241. Raina went on to become one of the rare Indian players to score a century on debut, as the pair put up a double century partnership. Yuvraj recovered in time for the Third Test, but Raina was retained by the selectors.
Raina, on the other hand, could never quite fit into the Indian Test camp system and finally faded from selectors’ minds. He last appeared in a Test match in 2015.
