The curious case of Suresh Raina

A ‘Man of the Series’ performance in the recently concluded ODI series against England to go along with a sparkling ton and a fifty for Rest Of India against Mumbai in the Irani Cup tie, Suresh Raina must be wondering what more he could have done to get selected for the upcoming four-Test series against Australia. Raina has been in a rich vein of form in recent times, but he was overlooked by the selectors for the first two Tests against Australia. Infact, the Uttar Pradesh southpaw showed his disappointment on Twitter and wondered “what was lacking” from his side as news filtered out that he has been unable to make the cut for the Test squad for the first two Tests.

The players who have received a call-up ahead of Raina are Ravindra Jadeja – who I firmly believe is a bits-and-pieces cricketer and not completely Test match material – and Ajinkya Rahane – who hasn’t scored much in the recent past, barring an innings of 83 for Mumbai in the Irani Cup. Arm-chair critics may say that Raina has already been given enough opportunities in the past which he has failed to capitalize on, but selecting Rahane, who himself couldn’t make his chances count against England, makes little sense. If recent form was what selectors were looking for while selecting the squad, Raina would surely have pipped Rahane by some distance.

Since he burst into the Indian team in 2005, Raina has been an indispensable part of India’s one-day and T20 squads. Coming at number 6 in the batting order, Raina has quite efficiently been playing the role of a finisher. His skill to find gaps at will as well as his ability to take the aerial route – with his trademark inside-out shots over extra-over and the lofted hits to the cow-corner – has made him a quintessential limited overs cricketer. He has been a vital cog in India’s ODI wheel, and along with captain MS Dhoni, he has bailed India out of precarious situations on innumerable occasions.

With 159 ODIs under his belt, there aren’t many who can doubt Raina’s credentials in limited overs cricket, but all said, he still hasn’t taken the leap to the next level; a transition from a finisher in ODIs to one of the greats of the game in all three formats for India.

An exceptional talent with the bat and on the field, Raina has been an enigma in Tests, and has played only 17 Tests, which is a paltry number for a player of his talent. He made a century on debut against Sri Lanka and followed it up with couple of half centuries in his next two Tests, but since then, his Test career has only gone downhill. With an average just a shade over 28 in Tests as compared to his ODI average of 37, Raina has been in and out of the Test squad more often than he would have liked.

Technically, there aren’t many fallacies in Raina’s game. He can play all the shots present in the cricketing manual and is arguably one of India’s best players against spin. The only criticism that has always been levelled against him is his ineptness against the short ball, which has been considered the primary reason why he hasn’t been able to cement his spot in Tests. But recently, Raina scored heaps of runs against an English attack that comprised of quicks like Finn and Bresnan, who, though not in the same league as Broad and Anderson, still have the ability to generate steep bounce and pace off the wicket.

A quality that separates Raina from the rest is that he has a sharp cricketing brain. His ability to anticipate the next move of the opposition not only helps him while batting, but also makes him a brilliant fielder, especially inside the 30-yard circle. He possesses the ability to read the game situation with precision – a trait which is also seen in good captains.

There was a lot of talk about a change in leadership for India after the debacle against England at home. While Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir might be the selectors’ preferred choices after Dhoni quits captaincy, Raina has the right attitude and cricketing acumen to lead India in the future, which he also showed when he captained India against West Indies in an ODI series in 2011. After that series, many West Indian legends firmly believed that Raina could prove to be an outstanding leader.

The positive energy Raina exudes every time he is on the field is akin to a child in a playground brimming with exuberance. The axe from the Test squad isn’t going to deter Raina’s spirits one bit; he just isn’t that kind of a person. He is 26 now and still has at least ten years of  international cricket left in him. The only thing he needs to do now is take the leap to the next level; a level which transcends him from just a decent cricketer to one of the greats of the game.

Opportunity may not be knocking on Raina’s door now, but whenever it does, Raina has to make sure he gets up off his seat and opens the door.