I am putting a bet that Suresh Raina would make a comeback for India: Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina have come a long way since the 2004 U19 World Cup. Rayudu was the captain of the side and Raina was an important part of the team. After the World Cup, the two players had very different paths on which they took on.

Raina became a regular member of the Indian team. On the other hand, Rayudu had a tough time at the domestic level. He kept trying his best and it was only in 2013 when he got an opportunity to make his debut. After being in the squad for a couple of years, Rayudu fell out of favour from the squad after 2015. The same happened with Raina. Injuries and bad form became the reasons why the left-handed batsman was dropped from the side.

Ambati Rayudu backs Suresh Raina to make a comeback

Eventually, the path of these two players crossed again when Rayudu became a part of the Chennai Super Kings side in the 2018 Indian Premier League. The two played well for the franchise, especially Rayudu. He got an opportunity to come back into the Indian side. However, his stay was short-lived as he was dropped from the side ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Recently, in an Instagram live hosted by CSK, Rayudu was talking about his IPL teammate. The right-handed batsman said that there is a lot of cricket left in Raina. He also said that the Uttar Pradesh batsman can still make a comeback to the Indian side.

“He has a lot of cricket left in him..I am putting a bet on it that he would make a comeback for India,” Rayudu said talking about Raina.

The 33-year-old batsman has played 226 ODI matches for India. He has also featured in 78 T20Is. However, Raina played his last international match back in 2018. Interestingly, he wasn’t even going to get picked for the three-match ODI series in England that season. It was Rayudu’s failure in passing the fitness test which presented Raina with an opportunity to play that series.

Both Rayudu and Raina would have been hoping for a comeback into the Indian side. The 34-year-old batsman from Hyderabad had announced his retirement after not being picked for the World Cup squad. However, the right-handed batsman then took a U-turn on his plans.