Suresh Raina is one of the most loved cricketers in India. His massive army of fans is waiting for his international comeback, and everyday they send thousands of messages to him on social media.
Many cricket pundits believe that making a comeback to India’s ODI and T20 team will be an uphill task for the southpaw. But, he has time and again said that he is working hard towards achieving the desired level of fitness and wear the ‘blue’ jersey again.
The 2017-18 domestic season holds great importance for Suresh Raina because he will have to score truckloads of runs and push the selectors for a spot. India have many good options for the middle order in their current squad and to replace them won’t be easy for Raina.
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Suresh Raina scored a gritty fifty in the ongoing Duleep Trophy match between India Red and India Blue. Raina came back to the crease when India Blue were in a spot of bother, but he batted patiently and formed a solid partnership with Hanuman Vihari.
India Red’s fast bowler Basil Thampi welcomed Raina with a cracking bouncer that hit him on his helmet. It was a solid blow and Raina took some time to get his concretion back. Thampi targeted Raina’s weakness and kept pitching it short. It was a nervous start for Raina.
But, Raina didn’t throw his wicket and defended well in that phase and survived that venomous spell by Thampi. He slowly started playing his trademark strokes and runs started to flow.
He played 82 balls and scored 52 runs. It wasn’t the most convincing knocks but a much-needed hit in the park for the southpaw. Raina scored 7 boundaries in his innings of 52.
Brief scores: India Red 383 (Baba Indrajith 200, Priyank Panchal 36; Ankit Rajpoot 3-56, Manoj Tiwary 2-30) lead India Blue 216/3 (Hanuma Vihari 86*, Suresh Raina 52) by 167 runs
