Suresh Raina, an ‘underrated’ man for all seasons

Suresh Raina, an ‘underrated’ man for all seasons

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Suresh Raina, a man for all seasons

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In 1520, Robert Whittington, a contemporary of More’s described More as ‘a man for all seasons.’ Whilst it has stood through the time, in 2005, a young cricketer from Uttar Pradesh made his debut and claimed that title in Indian cricket’s history, Raina - the man for all seasons.

When Suresh Raina stepped onto the field to play for India for the first time in 2005, his youthful exuberance could not even be ebbed by a duck in his first appearance. His ever-smiling face, filled with charm and a humble attitude triumphed it all, this was Raina who followed in the footsteps of Mohammad Kaif to play for the Indian team. 

Every time he stepped out on the field, there was this perception that surrounded him - of being the boy from the neighbourhood. His career coincided with another youngster from Jharkhand - MS Dhoni, whose flicks (whip) were the talk of the town. During his initial years, Dhoni was nothing short of flamboyant and exuberant, with a long-hair and a certain persona attached with it. However, from thereon, their careers took a drastic turn, while one became one of World’s best skippers, the other became a journeyman in India’s historical run in limited-overs. 

Starting at the age of 15, life has been tough for Raina, rather has been a learning curve with immense experience onboard throughout the journey. He went from being under the leadership of the seasoned Rahul Dravid to the newly-appointed Dhoni. One thing that stayed in common throughout, Raina was a bundle of joy at the crease, with the bat, in the field it didn’t matter. After every wicket, the southpaw was there, jumping in joy giving the teammates leaps and bounds of happiness. Every time, you keep a keen eye on Raina, you would see how much he is involved in the game, at times even more than Dhoni himself. Rightly, this guy was also involved in every aspect of the game, giving him the new-ball, he would be beaming with joy to take it and deliver, which is the least he did to the Indian team. Raina was always more than just a numbers-guy, his average of 35.31 and 29.18 would never tell the real story. 

During the early part of his career, the southpaw began at No.6 and in his first outing, however, he walked away out on duck against the then world’s premier off-spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan. That was just the beginning of the dawn of a new era. Raina then went to become an integral part of the Indian setup, despite having an average of under 30 in his first 36 appearances. In the pre-social media era, the criticism was suppressed to only the mainstream media, which allowed the Uttar Pradesh batsman to flourish in his career. It was only fitting that his first century came under the leadership of his friend, MS Dhoni against Hong Kong. It was not just his first century but also his first Man of the Match award. 

Incidentally, even before his first impression as a batsman, Raina’s off-spinners quickly caught the attention of his friend-cum-skipper, Dhoni. A jump, shuffle that followed by sharp off-breaks sums up Raina’s bowling but that quickly got converted into a golden arm later in the same era. Every time Dhoni needed a wicket, he turned to his pal Raina who clearly had a knack of breaking big partnerships. Just like his batting, it was never about numbers in his career. 

The entire world truly was talking about Dhoni’s glorious six, Gautam Gambhir’s near hundred and Zaheer Khan’s marvellous spell. They easily forget Raina and his match-winning contributions against Australia and Pakistan. Yes, he did have his share of weakness, which Australia did try to exploit but such was his positivity, he clearly turned the table for India in Mohali on that night. A knock of 34 runs, which was overshadowed by the emotions from Yuvraj Singh at the other end, that was Raina’s career. 

A team player for whom the numbers never ever mattered. Against Pakistan, all eyes were on Sachin Tendulkar’s scratchy innings while Raina walked away scoring 36 runs in tough conditions against the arch-rivals. A do-or-die situation and he was readily there to bail India out of trouble with no limelight. Under Dhoni’s leadership, the southpaw was utilised in the best possible way, as a true out and out all-rounder, who walked the shadows dipped in glory. 

His T20I career was often filtered out by his appearances outside India. However, there was that one night that stood out - a hundred against South Africa in Gros Islet, making him enter the Book of Record as the first Indian to score a hundred in all the three formats. A paltry average of 29 does not tell the tale, Raina in long and short, was the Indian player who could be called a man for all seasons. Whenever Dhoni’s cards and shots were falling, he knew in hindsight that he had a ‘joker’ card in Raina, who could turn things in India’s favour. Just like a joker in a pack of cards, Raina’s contribution to Indian cricket was invaluable. 

An able batsman, a handy bowler and a bullet fielder, what more can one expect in a cricketer? While his career came tumbling down, on the back of his weakness, be it the short-delivery or throwing of his wicket, he will always be remembered as a true match-winner on his day, with a World Cup title and Champions Trophy title under his belt. It was only fitting that he decided to end his career alongside his trusted ally and friend, as Chinna Thala and Thala bowed out from international cricket. 

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