Suresh Raina's wife pens heartfelt note on her husband's 15-year international career; he responds

Indian batsman Suresh Raina is out of the team from quite a sometime now. The left-hander from Uttar Pradesh grabbed the limelight early in his career during his Under-19 days. Hence, he was fast-tracked to the national team because of his ability to hit big shots in the middle order. When the IPL started, he became the most prolific batsman of India, he almost stayed at the top of the highest run-getters for almost a decade.

He is commonly known for stitching match-winning partnerships in the middle during the Dhoni-era and also known as one of the best finishers India has ever produced. He completed his 15 years in International cricket on Thursday. His career started in 2005 against Sri Lanka playing under Rahul Dravid.

His first outing was a forgettable one as Muralitharan caught him in front of the wickets on his first ball. His wife Priyanka took to Instagram to congratulate the left-hander on the same. She wrote that the cricketer’s ability to handle criticism with calm makes him special. She also added that he should have achieved more than he has.

Here’s her post

View this post on Instagram

Fifteen years since you played your first ODI! 15 years of success, ups & downs, hard work & a lot more. World has seen your passion, dedication & the rewards you got in return. I have seen your hardships, madness, sleepless nights & your reluctance to settle down with any non sense thrown at you. I have seen the amount of hard work you have put in & how true you have always been to yourself when it came to giving back to your game, people who supported you & everyone who wished best for you during this journey. You always acknowledged how blessed you are to receive the love & faith people have shown in you. And you worked tirelessly to stand upto their expectations & deliver your best. We all know It’s a world where you can’t be perfect all the time, yet there was no tolerance or constructive approach shown towards even the smallest lacking you may have shown, despite all your contribution, records & achievements! what I truly appreciate is your resilience & the ease with which you always kept your cool to deal with any criticism or unfair treatment. I have always been proud of you & will always be. You achieved incredible heights but you deserved much more & you still do. You are a gem person with a golden heart who is always willing to give wholeheartedly. Stay the way you are! keep shining, keep growing & keep giving your best unconditionally & rest will follow! We love you @sureshraina3 & are super proud of everything you have done. Love, Rio, Gracia & Priyanka #15yearsofraina

A post shared by Priyanka Chaudhary Raina (@priyankacraina) on Jul 30, 2020 at 4:44am PDT

The cricketer replied to his wife with a beautiful message, “All of this wasn’t possible without your love & support. You have been a pillar of my strength, motivated me, believed in me that I can represent our country. With you around, I feel anything can be achieved! Lots of love to you and our beautiful kids!

The Chennai Super Kings vice-captain last played for India in 2018 when he was selected for the England tour. Throughout his career, his ability to perform under crunch situations was highly appreciated. His match-winning partnership with Yuvraj Singh against Australia in 2011 World Cup quarter-finals came at a very crucial time. Also, his cameo against Pakistan in the semi-finals of the same tournament is still remembered.

His only weakness throughout his career remained the short ball. This was one of the reasons he lost his place in the team after Dhoni gave up captaincy. With team management giving more importance to the youngsters and with the likes of Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant in the tank, Raina’s comeback looks quite unlikely. He will always be remembered as one of the best fielders India ever produced.