Raina burst onto the international scene as a precociously talented 19-year-old during the Greg Chappell regime in 2005 and immediately impressed everyone with his ability to hit the ball cleanly, his range of shots and his temperament. Although he looked set to achieve big, his Test career failed to take off each time a short ball did and as a result of it, a career that spanned over 12 years, the flashy southpaw has managed to don India whites only 18 times. Despite his inclusion in the India Blue squad for the Duleep Trophy four-day matches, his Test career is in crossroads and he knows it best.

Raina went to Amsterdam for a while after a successful stint in the Indian Premier League 2017 to look after his body. He also came back to practice with former India skipper MS Dhoni at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore but reportedly, failed in the yo-yo test that resulted in missing out from the 15-member squad that went to Sri Lanka for a five-match ODI series and a lone T20I match. But Raina denied the failure and said that he never went through that test.

Of late, Raina posts his practice images on social media at an alarming frequency, which drew flak from the critics, but the Uttar Pradesh skipper rubbished them stating, “Who am I pleasing? It’s my account, I’m doing all hard work. Sometimes we express things which we want to. It’s my life and am enjoying it. I have been exploring so many things in life now. You can’t make everyone happy, sometimes you have to see keaage kya hai (what’s there in future). Social media is used by everyone now and it’s an important tool. Look at the Indian team, everyone posts selfies. It’s not only me who is active on social media.

"I just want to tell people that I am working hard and I am not the thanda type. I always believed in hard work. 60% is your hard work and 40% is your luck. Look at Yuvraj, he did the same, he worked very hard and came back. Sachin Tendulkar told me very nice thing other day, sab achha hai, you don’t need to prove anyone. You have done so much, you just need enjoy your cricket. I always made with high intensity. I know my chance will come."

Raina revealed the discussion, saying, “I was feeling low in between, so I messaged him one day saying, ‘I want to come to Mumbai. Can you spend sometime with me?’ Despite his busy calendar he spared some time for me. I spent a few days with Sachin paaji, I practiced with him for three hours daily. He told me I am batting well, my feet are moving nicely. I’m looking more compact. I saw the videos, my head position is coming nicely.

“You have to make small tweaks now and then. As sometimes you don’t realise that your game has changed. That is why you need someone who can tell you that you are going wrong this way, or you are doing good in this area. I remember the last time when I went to England, I had few sessions with Sachin paaji and I scored hundred in first game in England. Paaji is the most technically right cricketer and his words are always precious.”