The Indian cricket fraternity took to social media to extend their wishes
to former middle-order batter Suresh Raina, who turned 37, on Monday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India or BCCI took to X to extend
their wishes to Raina.
“Three twenty-two international matches, 7,988 international runs, 2011
World Cup & 2013 Champions Trophy-winner. Here’s wishing Suresh Raina a
very Happy Birthday #TeamIndia,” tweeted BCCI.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Raina’s Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise
also extended their birthday greetings to a once integral middle-order batter
of their side.
“Wishing our Chinna Thala a tremendous happiness and a positive year
ahead!” tweeted CSK.
India’s World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also posted an
Instagram story, wishing Raina that he scores a lot of runs in the ongoing
Legends League Cricket (LLC) in which Raina is representing Urbanrisers
Hyderabad.
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan also tweeted, “Happy birthday
brother Suresh Raina have a great year ahead. Lots of love.”
Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan also wished Raina a very happy birthday by
posting a story on Instagram, wishing that God blesses him with the best in
everything.
Indian middle-order batter and rising sensation Rinku Singh, who has
stated that Raina is one of his idols on many occasions, also wasted no time in
extending his wishes to the senior batter.
Raina is considered one of the best middle-order batters produced by
India and was the first Indian player to have a century across all formats of
the game.
In 18 Tests for India, he scored 768 runs at an average of 26.48. Raina
scored a century and seven fifties in his Test career, with the best score of
120.
Raina also played 226 ODIs, which was his best format. He scored 5,615
runs at an average of 35.31 and a strike rate of 93.50 in 194 innings. He
scored five centuries and 36 fifties, with the best score of 116*.
He also played 78 T20Is, scoring 1,605 runs at an average of 29.18 and a
strike rate of 134.87, with the best score of 101. He scored a century and five
fifties in the format in 66 innings.
Raina in 322 international matches, scored 7,988 runs at an average of
32.87 and a strike rate of over 92. He scored seven centuries and 48 fifties in
291 innings, with the best score of 120.
The left-handed batter won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and ICC
Champions Trophy 2013 with Men in Blue. His knocks of 34* against Australia in
the 2011 WC quarterfinals and 36* against Pakistan in the semis are two of the
most memorable clutch knocks by a middle-order batter on a big stage.
Raina also represented CSK and Gujarat Lions (2016-2017) in the Indian
Premier League. He is the fifth-highest run-scorer of all time in league
history with 5,528 runs in 205 matches at an average of 32.51 and a strike rate
of over 136.73.
He scored a century and 39 fifties in his IPL career, with the best score
of 100*. For his consistency across seasons, he is also known as the ‘Mr IPL’.
He has won four IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings.
ANI
