Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19: Suresh Raina shines with third consecutive half-century

Discarded Indian middle-order batsman, Suresh Raina last played an ODI for India in July this year against England. He was roped into the side for the tour at the eleventh hour in place of Ambati Rayudu who failed to clear the yo-yo test. However, with Rayudu fit again and the left-hander failing to latch onto the opportunities, it was inevitable for the Hyderabad batsman to return to the setup.

After facing the axe, Raina is currently leading the Uttar Pradesh team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The batting all-rounder is aiming at a comeback into the Indian team with some good performances in the tournament. On Saturday, the left-hander notched up his third consecutive fifty in the domestic tournament.

Raina eyeing a comeback for Windies ODIs

Suresh Raina didn’t have an ideal start in the tournament. He scored 22, 1 and 14* in the first three games. But then, he turned things around in the following three outings by scoring 53, 66 and 52 runs. He has scored 208 runs in six games thus far at an average of 42. With these performances, he could be eyeing a comeback in for the Windies ODI series.

However, the 31-year-old hasn’t had the best of time as the skipper of the side. His team just won one game out of the seven games it played thus far in the tournament. While they lost four matches, two encounters ended up yielding no result. With the Indian team having troubles with its middle order, Raina could play a crucial role in ticking the empty boxes. Also, uncertainties over Kedar Jadhav‘s fitness could be another factor that could help him with his selection.

The veteran of 226 ODI matches and having had the experience of playing in Australia earlier, the selectors could definitely keep a close eye on him. Apart from Raina, Gautam Gambhir, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are a few other notable performers in the tournament thus far.

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