Nidahas Trophy 2018: Opportunity for Suresh Raina to stake claim for ODI return

After a blistering performance in the recently-concluded South Africa series, Suresh Raina will be hoping to continue his form in the upcoming T20I tri-series.

Raina returned to the side after a one-year hiatus and batted aggressively against South Africa. He was among the runs and played a pivotal role in India's successful campaign. Raina started his innings in one of the games with a six and scored a match-winning 43 off just 27 balls. He was aggressive and proved his worth in the series decider at Newlands. Raina will be hoping to make the most of the chances he gets and earn a spot in the ODI side as well.

With the 2019 World Cup not too far away, Raina can be the go-to man for the team. It's very important for him though to score runs in the upcoming Nidahas Trophy as well as in the IPL. India's wait for a finisher will end if he performs well.

The southpaw is hoping to continue his strong show in the upcoming tournaments. "You need to show intent in the first 6 overs. When you get the ball in your area you hit it. The way we played in the Tests and the ODIs, we looked so calm. Credit goes to the support staff, who gave us a lot of confidence to express ourselves. Bowling to two lefties after the 7th over gave me a lot of confidence. I have been working hard on my bowling, hopefully, you will see more in the future," - Raina said at the post-match presentation at Newlands.

Raina played his last ODI for India in Mumbai against South Africa in 2015 and if he regains a spot in the team ahead of the World Cup, he will need to make it count.