After winning the Test Series 3-0 rather comfortably, India now moves to the 5 ODIs to take on New Zealand, where a tougher fight can be expected from the visitors who have had a torrid time on the tour so far. New Zealand is ranked at number 3 just above India and so the results could be different from the Test series.
A lot is going to change for the home side as the players move on from the whites to coloured clothing. MS Dhoni will be back as the skipper, the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja being rested makes way for Amit Mishra, Akshar Patel and Jayant Yadav.
The Test batting specialists Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara will find some time off from the game and the others like Manish Pandey and Kedhar Jadhav got the well-deserved chances in the team.
But above all, the limelight would be on Suresh Raina who is making a comeback in the 50-overs side after being left out due to inconsistent performances. He last played an ODI almost a year back against South Africa in Mumbai where India got a beating off the hands of the Proteas who scored a massive 438 in the first innings to beat India by 214 runs and won the series 3-2.
The return of Raina is going to a very important one for his cricketing career who should feel fortunate to be a part of the squad despite the emergence of numerous young cricketers in the Indian contingent. The left-hander has to prove his mettle once again to stand out amongst the hugely talented bunch of cricketers.
There is absolutely no doubt about the skills of Raina who has won so many matches for the country in the years gone by. At his peak, he was a prominent member in the team and it literally was not possible to leave him out due to his consistency. He played the role of an all-rounder for so long and had become a trustable player for Dhoni.
He was an excellent batsman down the order and along with the skipper Dhoni, won several matches for India from virtually losing positions. ODI cricket was always his speciality and with his useful bowling and agility in the outfield, he had become an asset for the team. With 5568 runs at an average of 35.46 and a strike rate of over 93, he has a wonderful ODI record batting at number 5 and 6.
Let’s take a look at some aspects of Suresh Raina’s game.
Weakness against short balls
As his career went by, his weakness against the short ball was exposed and the opposition started bombarding him with bouncers right from the first ball. The way he handled the short ball was pretty awkward and let to his downfall more often than not. The consequences were not too great and resulted in his exclusion from the side.
The opportunity in the series against New Zealand couldn’t have come at a better time. He is nearing 30 years of age and it is about time any batsman is at the peak of his abilities and understands his strengths and weaknesses. The best years of batsmen over the years have come at around this age.
Let’s talk about Suresh Raina’s finishing abilities next.
A potential finisher
At this juncture, he needs to reinvent himself as a batsman and as a player. The best way to do that would be to take up the role of being the finisher in the side. Dhoni is currently playing that part well enough, yet there is no denying the fact that his powers are wearing with age and this is where Raina’s role could be crucial.
Dhoni has stated that he himself is required to play the finisher’s role as he does not see anyone doing that better than him at this stage. Raina who has finished games for India before multiple times could be the ideal one to replace the skipper, who can move up the batting order to occupy a different responsibility.
An all-rounder
Raina is not only a good batsman, but he is more than useful with the ball and certainly one of the best fielders that India has ever produced which proves that he is fit in all the departments of the game. His big hitting abilities remain the best part of his game though which he could now use to re-strengthen his position in the squad.
His path won’t be easy though due to the presence of other potential finishers like Manish Pandey, Kedhar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya who have all turned up with impressive performances whenever provided with the opportunities. Raina certainly has got his work cut out in the series and needs to put up a consistent show in all the matches.
The fact that the series is taking place in India will be in the favour of the man from Uttar Pradesh. Despite troubling overseas, he has a tremendous record at home and knows the conditions very well. If only he can work his way out against the short balls, we could well witness the revive of Suresh Raina for the second half of his career.
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