India's playing 11 from Suresh Raina's international debut - where are they now?
Former Indian captain Suresh Raina celebrated his 37th birthday yesterday (November 27). Raina has retired from all formats of international cricket but continues to be active in T20 leagues. He is currently captaining the Urbanrisers Hyderabad team in the Legends League Cricket.
Suresh Raina was a part of the Indian squads that won the ICC World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013. He played crucial cameos in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the 2011 World Cup, which eventually helped India become the world champions.
Raina will always have a special place in the heart of Indian cricket fans. In this listicle, we will look at the Indian playing XI from his international debut, which happened against Sri Lanka in an ODI at Dambulla on July 30, 2005.
Openers - Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni (wk)
Virender Sehwag opened the batting with MS Dhoni in that ODI game. Both batters failed to play a big knock. Farveez Maharoof cleaned up Sehwag for 14 runs, while Dhoni lost his stumps to Dilhara Lokuhettige after scoring two runs.
Sehwag and Dhoni have retired from international cricket. Dhoni continues to lead the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, while Sehwag works as a cricket expert and participates as a player in the Legends League.
Middle Order - Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid (c), Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, and Venugopal Rao
Number three batter Yuvraj Singh also struggled against Sri Lankan bowlers and managed a 33-ball 12. Captain Rahul Dravid top-scored for India with a 54-run knock. Mohammad Kaif scored eight runs, while debutant Suresh Raina got out for a golden duck. Venugopal Rao aggregated 38 runs off 74 deliveries.
India scored 205/9 in 50 overs. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka, scalping three wickets in his spell of 10 overs.
All the players have retired from international cricket. Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina and Venugopal Rao work as regional language commentators and play in the Legends League. Rahul Dravid is the head coach of India, while Yuvraj Singh participates in tournaments of retired cricketers.
Bowlers - Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Ashish Nehra
India played with three fast bowlers and a spinner in that ODI match. All three pacers, namely Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, bowled left-arm pace, whereas Harbhajan Singh bowled right-arm off-spin. Pathan, Singh and Khan bagged two wickets each in that game. Nehra returned wicketless in his 10 overs.
Debutant Raina bowled only two balls, where the Sri Lankan batters scored four runs. Raina could not take any wickets on his international debut.
Pathan and Singh work as commentators for Star Sports. Khan works as a cricket expert and is the Global Head of Cricket Development at Mumbai Indians, while Nehra is a cricket expert and head coach of the Gujarat Titans team in the IPL.
India's 11 from Suresh Raina's debut game
Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid (c), Suresh Raina, Mohammad Kaif, Venugopal Rao, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra.