Does Raina deserve another shot in Tests?
"I have not been given enough chances to prove my calibre as a Test cricketer. You can't judge a player on the basis of just one match after a hectic series of one-day and T20 games. I am not asking for five Test matches to prove myself. Give me two-three games. And if I don't perform, drop me forever," Raina said recently.
There is no doubt that he is one of the best Indian players in limited overs cricket, but the same cannot be said about his Test career. The Uttar Pradesh Ranji team captain has a poor record in the longest format of the game as he averages only 26.48 in 18 games.
Does he deserve another chance? Has he wasted so many opportunities?
The elegant southpaw had shown a lot of promise in his debut series against Sri Lanka in 2010. He scored 223 runs in the series with an excellent average of 111.50 including a hundred in the debut match and a fifty.
He had a decent outing against Australians at home as he scored 118 runs at an average of 39.33. Then, there was a lean patch against New Zealand which ended up as Raina scoring only 26 runs in the 4 innings he played and because of the poor form, he played only in one match against South Africa.
Impressive West Indies tour
India later toured West Indies for a three-match series and this one turned out be one of the bright spots of Raina's career as he became the second highest run-getter on the tour with 232 runs at an average of 46.40.
He scored fifties in all the three games and it looked like he had found his mojo back.
Disastrous England Series
When India travelled England in 2011, the former were No.1 ranked side and the latter were No.2. Everyone expected a neck-to-neck battle.
But the hosts thrashed the visitors 4-0 as all the games turned out to be one sided affair. India lost all the games without a fight. Their batsmen were dismissed cheaply and bowlers were gone for plenty.
Apart from Rahul Dravid, all Indian batsmen struggled. No one had any clue against English attack. Sachin struggled, Laxman struggled, Gambhir struggled, Yuvraj struggled, Dhoni struggled and in such scenario how come one expect Raina to score? He didn't and failed miserably. It is not easy to perform when the morale of the whole team is down.
Raina scored only 105 runs in the series at a paltry average of 13.12 and the inevitable happened. He was dropped from the team. After every series loss, selectors sit down and axe the junior batsmen even though the seniors also don’t do much better either.
Brief comeback against New Zealand
The left-hander was recalled to the team in 2012 against the Kiwis for a two-match series. In his comeback Test, he got just 3 runs in the lone innings he played.
In the second match, Raina walked in when India were in all sorts of trouble at 80-4, but he rose to the occasion and steadied the ship along with Virat Kohli. He got out after a well-made 55 when the score was 179.
He couldn't trouble the scorers in the second innings and it was the end of Raina's second coming. But was it fair to drop a player who played a match-saving fifty in the first innings of the match? It wasn't.
Pair in 3rd comeback
Very good show in the ODIs resulted in his third comeback in Test cricket. He was selected for the squad against Australia on their home turf in 2014-15.
Rohit Sharma was the No.6 batsman for India at that time, but he didn't make an impact in the first two Tests. Also, he was criticized for his overly defensive batting in the Adelaide Test where India went for the chase. So, it was obvious that Raina would play in the third Test.
On the eve of third Test in Melbourne, Dhoni hinted about playing Raina. "He (Suresh Raina) has been working hard on his cricket and we will reflect once he gets a game. We need a player like him, reason being apart from being a good batsman he is also a good bowler, so if there is some turn he can bowl a bit.”
But K L Rahul was preferred over Raina. What could have been gone through the mind of the ODI veteran? A junior player has been chosen over him. He must have been disappointed.
He got the opportunity in the fourth and final Test, but the lady luck hasn't been on his side. He was dismissed for a duck in both innings he played.
One bad game, it was all over for Raina. Once again he was axed from the side. If a team drops a player after a bad outing, it won't help their cause in the long run. What could have happened India dropped Sachin, Dhoni and Laxman after their horrifying debut in the ODIs (All three were gone for a duck).
It's not good to write off a player after some abysmal performances. He should have been given ample opportunities to prove his talent. Raina has a poor Test career, but he wasn't given enough chances to cement his place in the team.
Raina is only 28-years-old and a good 8-10 years are still with him. If he scores heavily in this year's Ranji trophy, he can certainly book a ticket in the Indian Test team.