2 Indians in Suresh Raina's top three T20 batters from the current era

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend Suresh Raina has picked two Indians in his top three T20I batters of the current era. The cricketer-turned-commentator has picked Proteas wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen on top of his list. He followed it up with the currently World No.1-ranked T20I batter Abhishek Sharma and India’s current T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav.

The 38-year-old credited Abhishek for his 135 off 54 balls in his last T20I against England. He further lauded Yadav for his wide range of shots.

For the unversed, Abhishek Sharma has already amassed 535 runs in 17 T20Is at a strike rate of 193.84, comprising two centuries and as many 50s. In the IPL, he has 1,816 runs in 77 games at a strike rate of 163.01, including one century and nine fifties. Meanwhile, Yadav has scored 2,598 runs in 83 T20Is at a strike rate of 167.07, hitting four hundreds and 21 half-centuries. In IPL, he boasts 4,311 runs in 166 matches, striking at 148.65, including two tons and 29 fifties.

Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel, Raina said:

“52:04 (Top three T20 batsmen from current era) – Heinrich Klaasen, Abhishek Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav. Abhishek Sharma scored a hundred against England. Suryakumar Yadav has a range of shots. Klaasen’s ability to hit sixes is quite rare.”

Notably, the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) had retained Klaasen for a whopping ₹23 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. In his last three seasons with the Hyderabad-based franchise, the right-handed batter has amassed 1,414 runs in 39 innings at a strike rate of 173.50, including two tons and seven half-centuries.

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“He is a hard-working boy” – Suresh Raina backs India batters to make his comeback

Suresh Raina further backed Prithvi Shaw to make his comeback in the Indian cricket team and the IPL following his move to Maharashtra in domestic cricket. The 2011 World Cup-winning player said in the same video:

“52: 45 (On Prithvi Shaw) Yes, he can make his comeback. It should happen because I think he achieved a lot of things in very less time. He has realized a lot of things; he is working on his fitness. He will work hard. He is a hard-working boy. I wish him really really well. Hope he does well for the team. He has immense talent.”

The remarks came after Shaw smashed a 122-ball century in the first innings against Chhattisgarh during the opening round of the 2025 Buchi Babu Trophy. Shaw came as a promising batter for India in 2018 but faded in 2021. The 25-year-old went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction last year.