Suresh Raina reportedly looking for a career in Politics

India’s limited-overs specialist Suresh Raina is reportedly pondering over a career in politics. The 30-year-old attacking left-hander has fallen out of favour with the selectors because of inconsistent performances in domestic cricket, and last featured in an ODI more than a year ago, in October 2015.

With the emergence of Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair and the resurgence of Yuvraj Singh, the road to make it back to the side is bound to be a challenging one for Raina. However, the Uttar Pradesh captain who was recently blessed with a baby girl seems to be having different plans altogether.

Speculations are rife that the southpaw is looking to join the Samajwadi Party after he was spotted meeting senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ramgopal Yadav in New Delhi on 21st January, ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. The timing of the meeting further fueled rumors as it took place only a day after the political party announced the list of 199 candidates for the first three phases.

However, the degree of his commitment is not known at this point, so it is difficult to determine exactly what is going on in his mind or if, or when he is actually considering the switch.

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Raina failed to make it to the Indian side for the 3 ODI series against England but was picked for the subsequent 3 T20Is. He remains a vital cog in the wheel for the T20 side and has an opportunity to stake his claim for a berth to England for the Champions Trophy in June 2017 through these 3 matches.

Raina’s experience of 223 ODIs coupled with his bowling prowess may give him the edge over, but the southpaw would need to be at his best in the limited opportunities that he gets, and his mind and focus certainly would need to be clear of any other commitments in order for this to happen.

#FLASH Cricketer Suresh Raina met SP leader Ramgopal Yadav in Delhi pic.twitter.com/GAt0IDLZhc

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 21, 2017