Can Suresh Raina Prove His Worth Again?

The good news is that Raina has fared pretty well in England in the past as compared to other overseas destinations. Raina also has the experience of 223 ODIs with him...

- Bhavesh Bhimani

Suresh Raina must be thanking his stars today. When the squad for the limited overs team to England was announced earlier this month, he had no place in it. That was a huge dent in Raina’s future as the left-handed batsman has been striving hard to make a return to the Indian team. Dwindling form and fitness issues have resulted in Raina being in and out of the team and not being considered for selection, especially in ODIs.

Raina’s form in the recent IPL too wasn’t that great and it felt certain that making a return to Team India would be very difficult for him. Especially after Ambati Raydu, who was selected ahead of him for the England tour, had displayed incredible form in the IPL. Unfortunately, however, Rayudu failed a fitness test and has therefore been dropped from the squad touring England. And Raina has been called back in his place. Now this presents a huge opportunity for the left-hander to prove his worth and secure his place in the Indian limited overs team for the 2019 World Cup next year.