India's Suresh Raina announces retirement from all forms of cricket
Former Indian batter Suresh Raina has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The senior cricket, who called time on his international career in 2020, now retires from domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well. Raina, one of India's greatest middle-order batters, went unsold in the IPL 2022 mega auction earlier this year. Here are further details.
It has been an absolute honour to represent my country state UP. I would like to announce my retirement from all formats of Cricket. I would like to thank @BCCI, @UPCACricket, @ChennaiIPL, @ShuklaRajiv sir all my fans for their support and unwavering faith in my abilities 🇮🇳
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) September 6, 2022
Raina falls among one of the most influential white-ball batsmen India have ever produced. His credentials while playing in the middle-order are deemed invaluable. In an international career spanning nearly 12 years, the 33-year-old amassed 5,615 runs from 226 ODIs at an average of 35.31. He also played 18 Tests and 78 T20Is, having racked up 768 and 1,605 runs respectively.
During his illustrious career, Raina reached several milestones across formats. In 2010, Raina became the 12th Indian cricketer to slam a century on Test debut (120 vs Sri Lanka). Notably, he was the first Indian to register a ton in all three formats. Raina still remains the only Indian with a hundred in both T20I and ODI World Cup.
Raina is known for his acrobatic fielding, especially in white-ball cricket. He emerged as one of the most athletic fielders in world cricket. Over the years, Raina showed a knack for inflicting startling run-outs while fielding inside the 30-yard circle.
Raina retired from international cricket in August 2020. He announced the same hours after former Indian captain MS Dhoni hung his boots. "It was nothing but lovely playing with you, @mahi7781 . With my heart full of pride, I choose to join you in this journey. Thank you India. Jai Hind!" Raina wrote on Instagram.
Raina featured in 109 First-Class, 302 List A, and 336 T20 matches. He slammed 6,871, 8,078, and 8,654 runs in the three formats, respectively. Despite failing to perform in Test cricket, Raina averaged 42.15 in FC cricket. His tally included 14 tons and the best score of 204*. Raina was also handy with his off-spin, having scalped 159 wickets in domestic cricket.
Raina emerged as one of the most versatile batters in the IPL, having earned the "Mr. IPL" tag. He is still the fifth-highest run-scorer of the tournament, having scored 5,528 runs at an impressive average of 32.51. The left-handed batsman also owns one hundred and 39 fifties. In 2019, Raina became the first batsman in IPL history to cross the 5,000-run mark.
