On Sunday (August 16), Suresh Raina officially told the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his decision to retire from international cricket.
Raina, who is an attacking left-hand batsman and a world-class fielder, represented India in 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is during his international career spanning 13 years.
A member of the victorious World Cup-winning team in 2011, Raina made his international debut at the age of 18 and also led India in ODIs and T2OIs when he turned 23. He is the youngest to lead an India men’s T20I side and was also a member of the side that played in India’s first-ever T20I.
Raina is also the first Indian to score a century in the T20 World Cup.
Under his captaincy, India registered a 3-2 series victory in West Indies and a 2-0 win over Bangladesh in ODIs and a 2-0 T20I series win in Zimbabwe.
Raina, who scored a century on his Test debut, is even the first Indian to smash tons in all three formats of the game.
With his mentor and close friend MS Dhoni, the southpaw formed a lethal batting partnership. Often coming together in crunch situations, the two helped India cross the finish line. Together they added 2421 runs for the fifth wicket – the most by a pair in ODIs for that wicket.
“Nothing less than a 100 will suffice. @sureshraina3 leaves the international stage with some incredible milestones. #RainaRetires,” BCCI wrote while wishing the southpaw the very best for his future endeavours.
Nothing less than a 💯will suffice.@ImRaina leaves the international stage with some incredible milestones. 👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/j48MtLldie
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 16, 2020
Speaking about Raina’s retirement, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said: “Suresh Raina has been one of the key performers in limited-overs cricket for India. Coming lower down the order and playing some of the match-winning knocks requires a lot of skill and talent. He along with Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni formed a solid middle order for India in ODIs. I wish him and his family all the very best.”
