Watch: Suresh Raina begins practice for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after completing quarantine
Former Indian all-rounder Suresh Raina will return to the cricket field in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as part of the Uttar Pradesh team. Raina warmed up ahead of the competition with a catch practice session in Bengaluru.
The Uttar Pradesh cricket team is a part of the Elite Group A in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Suresh Raina will play under Priyam Garg's captaincy in this year's tournament.
All players had to quarantine for seven days under the COVID-19 protocols. The quarantine period has ended now, and Raina and co. hit the grounds in Bengaluru to work on their fielding skills.
Suresh Raina highlighted the pleasant weather in an Instagram post as he felt there could not have been better conditions for practice ahead of the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It is pertinent to note Raina did not play a single match in 2020. He bid farewell to the global arena, and later, he pulled out of IPL 2020 because of personal reasons.
Nevertheless, Raina has made himself available for the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The Uttar Pradesh cricket team will target their second championship in this year's tournament. Priyam Garg's team will play against two-time defending champions Karnataka, Railways, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Tripura in Elite Group A.
Suresh Raina and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to return in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Along with Suresh Raina, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will make his comeback to the cricket field in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Kumar is also a part of the Uttar Pradesh squad.
The Uttar Pradesh team also features IPL stars Ankit Rajpoot, Rinku Singh, and Shivam Mavi. The team are one of the favorites to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2021. It will be interesting to see how Suresh Raina performs in his first tournament following his international retirement.