Top 5 partnerships between MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina and M.S.Dhoni, two legends of the game, together make an ominous pair of a batsman. The two middle-order batsman, who have had a fair amount of success in the shorter formats of the game, played many match winning knocks whenever the team was in need. Raina and Dhoni have scored nearly 3500 runs at an astonishing average of 63 as a partnership in ODIs.

They are two batsmen with very different styles, but when put together in pressure situations form an excellent partnership. The CSK duo have put on many unforgettable partnerships and took their respective teams over the line, regularly when playing together. They have been playing together for nearly 12 years and share great chemistry on and off the field. In this article, we will look at five of the most destructive batting partnerships between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina which have left audiences stunned.

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#5 England v India- 2014

India took on hosts England at Cardiff in 2014. Smiles came back on the faces of many Indian supporters who were disappointed with the start India got. India went on to win the match comfortably by 133 runs as a brave Suresh Raina stole the limelight, scoring 100 off just 75 balls. However, no credit can be taken away from the then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who scored a valuable 52 runs and stitched together a 144 run partnership with the centurion, to help India post a match-winning total of 304.

M.S.Dhoni and Raina put on India's 3rd century stand for the 5th wicket in England. Raina was the Man of the Match for his blistering knock to help India win. In the 2014 India tour of England, India lost the test series by a humiliating margin of 3-1, but bounced back well in the shorter format of the game to win the ODI series by a comfortable margin of 3-1.

#4 Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians- 2010

Chennai took on Mumbai in the final of the most entertained T20 league of the world in 2010. CSK had to bat first, but wickets in the opening overs caused some havoc in the CSK dugout, but all knew that Raina was still at the crease and there were plenty of fireworks left with their skipper MS Dhoni yet to come.

While it was Dhoni who started the turnaround against formidable MI bowling, his deputy Raina capitalized on two dropped catches to score a crucial fifty and take Chennai to 167. Dhoni and Raina scored some vital runs at the death to help Chennai post the total, and in reply MI fell short by 22 runs. Dhoni and Raina went on to add some more crucial partnerships for their side and are fondly remembered by supporters.

#3 India v Hong Kong- 2008

MS Dhoni and his men marked the 25th anniversary of India's 1983 World Cup triumph with an emphatic win over minnows Hong Kong in Karachi. India rested the likes of Ishant Sharma and Yuvraj Singh, in the knowledge that the XI selected should have enough to beat the minnows.

Dhoni and Raina scored quick-fire centuries against Hong Kong. India's innings revolved around two partnerships; the one between Sehwag and Gambhir and between Raina, who scored a quickfire century off just 66 balls and Dhoni, who was unbeaten on 101. Raina changed his gear in the death overs, and managed to score his second fifty in just 16 balls.

#2 India v England- 2011

India took on England at Lords, the Home of Cricket, in 2011. The Indians were in deep troubles having lost the top four. Graeme Swann was in great form, taking the wickets of Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid in a space of five deliveries. For a period between 22nd and 35th over, India added only 55 runs, but Dhoni and Raina were settling themselves for a strong assault in the closing overs

Raina broke the shackles and Dhoni followed soon. This match ended as a tie as Ravi Bopara scored a magnificent knock to help hosts avoid a loss. This series wasn't a great outing for the visitors, as they didn't manage to win a single match in the entire series.

#1 India v Zimbabwe- 2015

India took on Zimbabwe in the group stage of 2015 World Cup and elected to bowl first. India lost the openers early, chasing a Total of around 290. When Dhoni and Raina came together in Auckland, India still needed 196 runs in 27.2 overs. Everyone had the belief in two of the most experienced Indian batsman in Raina and Dhoni. This 196 stand is the highest stand for any wicket in a successful run chase in World Cups for India.

Raina and Dhoni's 196 run partnership helped India regain the top spot in their respective group. It is the best contribution between Dhoni and Raina we have seen to date, and India fans will hope they can produce similar partnerships at the next World Cup in England next year.