Five greatest international players from Uttar Pradesh

#3 Suresh Raina: From being attacked by bullies to bullying bowling attacks

Raina powered India to many victories

From being unanimously hated and violently bullied by his seniors for being a highly skilled youngster favoured by his coaches in the sports hostel in Uttar Pradesh, to smacking bowlers all around the park with élan, life has indeed turned into a fairy-tale for Suresh Raina.

A silent confidence in his abilities that prevents him from being overawed by his contemporaries remains Raina’s greatest hallmark. It separated him from the group of budding youngsters then; it separates him from the experienced cricketers today.

On the back of a string of double centuries for the Uttar Pradesh Under-16 team, Raina was drafted into the Indian junior team and very soon turned out for the senior national team, making a name for himself with his staggering strike rates and flourishing shot-making.

In the death overs especially, with a soaring run-rate, the left-hander’s ability to rotate strike and hand his team improbable victories remains his greatest claim to fame. He became the first Indian cricketer to score an international hundred in all three formats of the game and his electric fielding ushered in a new era in Indian Cricket.

He remains widely successful in the IPL as well but his iffy technique against the short ball and fast seaming deliveries has called into question his temperament. His handy off-breaks resulted in 62 international wickets and even though he has not represented India in either Test or ODI cricket since 2015, that in no way can take away what he brought to the team.