IPL 2017: Do-or-die IPL 10 for India Discard Suresh Raina

Aggressive left-handed middle-order batsman Suresh Raina was a mainstay in Indian cricket team’s limited-overs setup. One cannot ignore the usage of the word ‘was’ because its been more than couple of years that Raina has featured in the ODI setup for his country. A lot has changed since his last Test match which he played versus Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Jan 06, 2015 and his last ODI against South Africa at Wankhede Stadium, Oct 25, 2015. But most importantly Raina has consistently lost out on form and his batting abilities have also taken a dip.

Adding to his woes, he recently suffered a snub by the BCCI as he was omitted from the list of cricketers who bagged a central contract. Furthermore, in the recently held Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy, he did not participate and was left out of the Deodhar Trophy squad. With a lack of match practice and batting woes in conditions away from home, Raina’s chances of making a comeback in coloured clothing in the upcoming Champion’s Trophy are looking bleak more than ever.

If we take a look at his batting performance in foreign countries then it is evident that it has been poor. In Australia he averages a mere 27.26 while in South Africa it drops to 23.44. However, in the upcoming Champion’s Trophy if Raina wishes to comeback to the fray then the only realistic chance will be if he makes an incredible impact in the IPL.

If there is one format where Raina feels at home then it is the T20’s.  Be it home or away, Raina has always made a mark in the shorter format of the game. When he was going through a lean patch around 2010-11, he made a comeback after having a phenomenal run in the IPL. This time around Raina will be hoping to do the same. Captaining his side (Gujarat Lions) if he bats well and leads them to glory then it will be hard for selectors to ignore him.

Courtesy : indianexpress