Suresh raina is making waves in ODI and T20 format. He yet needs to find his feet in Test cricketing. Now why Ravi Shashtri wants Suresh Raina back to Test?
Suresh Raina is the man in form for Team India.
The Uttar Pradesh-born was adjudged Man of the Series in the England ODI series and currently hit a ton in the CLT20 Final for the Chennai Super Kings.
After a heroic two months, Raina has shot to fame with the pundits and analysts from the cricketing world going ga-ga over the southpaw.
But as Raina is making waves in the 50-over and the T20 format, the former is yet to find his feet in the Tests.
Raina’s journey in the Test format is well known. From being held as the 12th Indian to make a Test century on debut with the great Sachin Tendulkar alongside him, to a disastrous outing in England back in 2011 where MS Dhoni’s men returned 4-0.
Raina made his Test debut in Sri Lanka 2010 and was touted as the future of the Indian middle order. Back then, besides VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni, the Indian team lacked a quality batsman to guide the innings through. Raina was one such character who had all the qualities besides the athletic fielding and quick running between the wickets.
But then came a horrendous 2011 tour where Raina’s shortcomings were all out in the open. The southpaw struggled in seaming conditions as well as the short deliveries from the English pacers that saw Raina’s chances as a Test batsman very limited. After playing his last Test in 2012, Raina never donned the Test whites until the current Team director’s wish.
Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri, who is currently the national team director, stated his desire to get Raina back into the Test side. Shastri who has been a valuable asset to this young Indian team since the England ODIs, has helped the likes of Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan in their batting techniques.
In a press conference recently held Shastri said, “The more I see him play, he is brilliant to watch. It will be my endeavour really to do something that will get him back into the Indian Test match team. He is a class act. When is going he is a treat to watch. Even at times when I see him bat at the nets, when the ball hits the bat, just that sound or sense of timing you know it is something different. Let’s hope, fingers crossed.”
Up till now, the Uttar Pradesh player has featured in 17 Tests in comparison to the 196 ODIs and 44 international T20 games he has played. But even if a great player like Shastri who wants to bring Raina into the Test fold, looks like a gamble, it might just not work at all!
Simply because, Raina is neither a TEST MATCH player nor his skills are utilised for the 5-day game.
Besides the fact, there are other names in the Test reckoning such as Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha who has yet to get a full international cap and also Rajasthan’s Robin Bisht.
Even though Raina’s blistering form looks seductive from the outside for Ravi Shastri, getting the former in the Test arena will be a sign of no return for Indian cricket.
