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Raina was picked by the Chennai franchise for a fairly decent price and he put on a stellar show during the first season of the IPL – the result of which was a comeback to the national side soon after. Thereafter, Raina cemented his spot as a capable finisher for the side, often chipping in with priceless cameos apart from getting the sizable knocks whenever the opportunities came by. With India having a heavy top and middle order, Raina’s role mostly was to provide the final flourish to the innings. The numbers don’t exactly reveal how valuable he was during the 2008-2011 phase which was easily among the finest stages of Team India’s ODI history, capped with World Cup glory as well.

A big example of Raina’s big match temperament was the way he chipped in during the 2011 quarterfinal against Australia and then the semifinal against Pakistan. Both were cameos statistically but were worth its weight in gold. There were several such instances of him taking India across the line in pressure situations. The lofted inside out drive and an agricultural hoick over mid-wicket are the trademark Suresh Raina shots which he doles out with elan when in prime form. While he relished white-ball cricket, he couldn’t replicate it in the longest version of the game. Although his Test career started with a fine century against Sri Lanka, his form fizzed away thereafter due to his imminent struggles against pace and swing.

Raina was the first Indian player to hold a century in all three formats of the game and although red-ball cricket wasn’t his cup of tea, his contributions in the other formats were valuable to Indian cricket. There has always been immense criticism about his short ball phobia although in limited-overs cricket, that cannot really be a derailing flaw for a batsman with the modern day rules and regulations. His ODI century in England during the 2014 tour promised a revival regarding that aspect of his game but after the 2015 World Cup, he endured a couple of poor series which led to his axing from the side.