Suresh Raina continued his fine recent form with another half-century for India against West Indies in the second One-Day International (ODI). This was yet another display of Raina’s fine form since making a comeback to the Indian side after being dropped for the Asia Cup 2014. Shiamak Unwalla feels that Raina’s turnaround has come at the perfect time for India.
A year ago, Suresh Raina had scores of 39, 17, 16, and 28 in what was to be a six-match ODI series against Australia. To put things in perspective, Shikhar Dhawan had scores of seven, 95, eight, 14 not out, 100, and 60; Rohit Sharma had scores of 42, 141 not out, 11, 9 not out, 79, and 209; and Virat Kohli amassed 61, 100 not out (off 52 balls), 68, 115 not out, and 0.
Between June 6, 2013 and January 25, 2014, Raina suffered a run of 30 ODIs in which he could score a solitary fifty. His average fell to a measly 26.4 and his strike rate — while still quite high at 89.79 — was less than his career rate of over 92.
Period
M
Runs
HS
Ave
SR
100s
50s
Jul 30, 2005 – Oct 11, 2014
198
4885
116*
35.65
92.3
4
30
Jun 6, 2013 – Jan 25, 2014
30
528
65*
26.4
89.79
0
1
He was dropped from the ODI squad following the One-Day series in New Zealand, thereby missing out on the Asia Cup 2014 in Bangladesh. He was picked for the World T20 2014 that followed, and then captained a grossly weakened side in Bangladesh to a 2-0 series victory. He didn’t quite star with the bat in that series, but it launched a revival which saw him turn the tide for India in the ODI series in England.
His figures since being dropped from the Indian side are excellent:
Period
M
Runs
HS
Ave
SR
100
50
Jun 15, 2014 – Oct 11, 2014
9
289
100
41.28
110.72
1
1
His century in the second ODI against England — technically the first game after a wash-out — was the spark that India needed to overcome their torrid Test series defeat. Raina’s presence in the side was intangible but infectious; the fielding standard rose, the energy levels went up, and the overall mood was far more upbeat. Of course, there could have been other reasons for this than Raina, but it seemed like he was the catalyst for what turned into a memorable ODI series win for India.
And who can forget his batting for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014? While that was a totally different ball-game, the fact that he had scores of 90 and 109 not out — in the final at that — shows that he is in the form of his life. With the ICC World Cup 2015 mere months away, Raina’s form comes as a boon for India. If he can keep up his scores at No 6, India’s chances at retaining their title as world champions would improve considerably.
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