In a team sport like cricket, players operating in partnerships is imperative for a team’s success. While there have been many batting and bowling pairs over the years which have consistently come good for their respective sides, there are also certain off-the-field pairs which garner an equal attention and receive immense love from fans. The one between former Indian captain MS Dhoni and former batter Suresh Raina is exactly that – a special gift for their ardent fans which just keeps on giving.
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The strength of the enviable Dhoni-Raina bond during their playing days at the highest level was such that the latter didn’t even mind seeking assurance from the former with respect to his spot in the team.
If truth be told, one empathizes with Raina as 144 out of his 194 ODI innings came at Nos. 5 and 6. More often than not, he had to shoulder the responsibility of finishing the innings on a high with some crucially quick runs in order to bolster the strength of the eventual team total.
While his role as an attacking middle-order batter coupled with the advantage of being a left-hander augured well for the team, he made sure to have it immune to any threat for a justifiable number of games.
During an interaction with cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra for Jio Cinema last year, Raina had revealed how then-head coach Gary Kirsten and later Dhoni had made him aware of his role in the limited-overs team.
“I remember I was the captain when our team had toured Zimbabwe in 2010. There, Gary [Kirsten] had told me to keep in mind the fact that I won’t be batting up the order and be playing at Nos. 6, 7, 8 or 9. Then [MS] Dhoni had reiterated the same and was like, ‘See, I have players up the order, but not someone down the order who could attack from the get go’,” Raina told Jio Cinema.
“I was like, ‘I sure can hit the ball right away, but if things go haywire, bacha loge na? [Will you save me from getting dropped?]’ Because, Yuvi [Yuvraj Singh] pa was an attacking player, myself, Mahi [MS Dhoni] bhai, and even Yusuf [Pathan] was batting pretty well during that period. So, I was like, ‘Save me if I fail to deliver in a couple of matches or so’. He then said that he has discussed about the thing with the coach. So, I needn’t worry.”
It is noteworthy that Raina’s turn to bat in the last 10 overs came in a total of 78 ODI innings. The left-handed batter, who generated a lot of impact in this particular role throughout his career, scored 1,406 runs at a magnificent strike rate of 131.64.
Moreover, for players who have batted for a minimum of 100 times in this format, Raina is only behind former England captain Eoin Morgan in the list of most runs in the middle-order with an average and strike rate greater than 35 and 90 respectively. All in all, the southpaw scored 5,030 runs at an average of 35.67 and a strike rate of 94.14 across 198 innings while batting between 4-7.
MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar And Harbhajan Singh Praised Suresh Raina After 2011 World Cup Quarter-Final
Having warmed the bench for most of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Raina had failed to impress during his first outing in India’s last league match against West Indies in Chennai. However, when the team desperately needed him to perform in a knockout match, Raina didn’t let anyone down.
During the quarter-final fixture against Australia in Ahmedabad, his 34* (28) was worth the gold dust after the team was reduced to 187/5 in a 261-run chase. Post Dhoni’s dismissal, India’s campaign could’ve been handed a gargantuan dent had he not put together a match-winning 74-run fifth-wicket partnership alongside Player of the Match Yuvraj Singh (57*).
During the above mentioned interaction itself, Raina had further disclosed how Dhoni had praised him for encompassing sound technique after that match.
“Isliye tujhe khilaya tha. Ki tu technically bahut sound hai. Bhaji ne bhi bola tha ki tu khelega match [This is the reason you were part of the Playing XI – that you are technically sound. Even Sachin Tendulkar was of the view that I would play the match],” Raina mentioned.
Not only Tendulkar, but even legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh was in favour of Raina’s inclusion as he had argued that the team needed someone who is rich in experience while playing in the middle-order. Yet again, during the semi-final match against Pakistan, Raina’s 36* (39) had played a vital hand at No. 7 in taking the team total to 260/9 batting first.
