IPL 2021 | Suresh Raina looked like a school boy cricketer, states Dale Steyn

09/20/2021

Dale Steyn has come down heavily on Suresh Raina’s batting performance against Mumbai Indians pacer Trent Boult as he lasted only for six balls on the crease. Raina was peppered with the short ball on his body and he looked uncomfortable against the left-armer who dismissed him in the third over.

Chennai skipper MS Dhoni won and elected to bat on a greenish surface of Dubai International Stadium. His decision appeared to be a wrong one as opener Faf du Plessis was dismissed for a three-ball duck in the first over of the innings by Trent Boult. Moeen Ali was the second one to depart as he was caught by Saurabh Tiwary off the bowling of Adam Milne. Coming in to bat at 2/2, Raina looked extremely uncomfortable against Boult's short pitched deliveries. He hit a boundary off the outside part of the blade before he was caught by Rahul Chahar.

“He (Suresh Raina) didn’t want anything of it. He looked like a school boy cricketer at a point. I couldn’t believe this is an international player doing what he was doing, almost embarrassing that he broke his bat and got out. Had that gone for six, maybe I won’t have said that but it is what we saw,” Steyn told ESPNcricinfo.

Chennai opener Ruturaj Gaikwad helped the team recover from 24/4 with his 88 not out as they posted 156/6. Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja also chipped in with the contribution of 23 and 26 runs respectively.

In the end, CSK won by 20 runs against five-time champions Mumbai Indians and dethroned Delhi Capitals to occupy the top spot on the points table.