His Test career may be in doldrums, and he may only just have rescued his one-day career with his excellent showing in England, but when it comes to T20, he is a special player, indeed. Suresh Raina gave further proof of the same during his scintillating knock for Chennai Super Kings against the Dolphins in the Champions League T20 clash on Monday. Raina played some terrific strokes, some of which have become his trademark, as Chennai overcame the Dolphins with ease. This is not the first time the CSK star has come up with such a brilliant knock, and definitely isn't the last time as well. He has done enough to be rated as a T20 great.
T20 has been around for around a decade now, and so we haven't really plucked out a great in the newest format of the sport. However, the manner in which Raina has thrashed opponents the world over during his career in domestic as well as international T20, Raina can definitely lay claim to being the first great the format has produced. After all, he has played some unbelievable knocks over the course of his career, which only an exceptionally talented batsman can deliver. Both CSK and Team India should consider themselves extremely lucky to have a swashbuckler like Raina in their midst in T20s.
Raina, who holds the rare distinction of having scored a hundred in all three formats of the game -- the only Indian to do so till date -- is completely at ease batting in the T20 format. One of the key factors behind his success is the fact that he utilises the field restrictions in the format brilliantly. The southpaw has all the strokes in the book to clear the field with ease. His lofted strokes are a trademark, but he is even capable of piercing the field with precision. In T20s, Raina is also aided by the fact that he doesn't have to face a barrage of short balls, unlike in one-dayers, and particularly in Tests.
Although he has done enough to secure his name in history as one of the most deadliest T20 batsmen, Raina has himself admitted that Test cricket is the real cricket. Of course, one cannot deny him credit for his T20 spectacles, but it would be an incomplete story unless Raina resurrects his Test career. And, since he has candidly admitted that he wants to play Test cricket again, it means that his thinking is in the right direction. He will have to work very hard to regain his Test spot since, in his absence, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma have done exceedingly well in the middle order.
One of the first things Raina will need to do to resurrect his Test career is score loads of runs in domestic four-day cricket. If he continues to pile on runs, selectors will find it hard to ignore him. And, although there may be no vacancy in the middle order at present, he cam definitely stake his claim in case of injury problems. With the amount of cricket being played, players are bound to have fitness issues. This is where Raina can grab his chances. Of course, if and when that opportunity comes, he should be prepared for the tough challenge, especially against the short ball. Can he rise to the occasion? Time will tell.
--By A Cricket Analyst
