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

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.