Top 5 underrated ODI knocks of Suresh Raina

#4 81 off 89 against England at Faridabad (2006)

England were all-out for 226 on a track with low bounce and suitable for spinners. The Indians got a great start, thanks to the opening pair of Sehwag and Gambhir who put up 61 runs to the first wicket. Everything was going well until a mid-innings occurred and they were down to 92 for 5 from 61 for no loss.

England smelled victory with the last recognized pair of Dhoni and Raina on crease. They had a humongous target and nobody would had thought that this pair would steer India to victory. England missed the trick by having more pacers than spinners which proved costly later on.

Raina, just 19 years of age, showed a lot of character and temperament in the way he approached this innings. He got to his first half century in 65 balls. The way he applied himself on this low-bouncy proved his place in the team. He, along with Dhoni, built a 118-run stand for the 6th wicket and took the hosts across the line.

Raina played himself in and once he was settled,he started playing his natural game dispatching the ball into the crowd. He hit 8 boundaries and a maximum remaining unbeaten on 81 off 89 balls. He was the ‘Player of the Match’.