Suresh Raina sets new benchmark by an Indian cricketer in T20 history

What's the story?

Suresh Raina became the first Indian batsman to score 8000 runs in T20 matches. He achieved this feat while playing for Uttar Pradesh against Puducherry in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy.

In case you didn't know

Raina is one of the finest T20 batsmen in the country. Having played over 176 IPL matches and 78 international T20 matches, Raina has scored more than 6500 runs without including the domestic record.

Raina is currently the leading run scorer in IPL with 4985 runs which stands as a testament to his mettle and experience in the format. Raina, who’s currently sidelined from the Indian team, is playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy for Uttar Pradesh. Raina’s score in the tournament reads, 5,54*,1 and 12, thus extending his search for form.

The heart of the matter

Raina reached this feat earlier today when he was playing against Puducherry in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy. Raina now has 8001 runs in 300 matches thus becoming the 6th batsmen overall to achieve this record.

Chris Gayle leads the list with a whopping 12298 runs in 269 matches while veteran Brendon McCullum follows him with 9922 runs in 370 games.

Kieron Pollard, Shoaib Malik, and David Warner are the next 3 batsmen on the list. Raina achieved yet another record in today’s game. He became the second Indian batsmen after CSK captain MS Dhoni to play 300 games. Rohit Sharma is next on the list with 299 matches.

What's next?

Raina will look to use the ongoing tournament as a platform to find his form and confidence back. Also, the southpaw will use these matches as practice games for the upcoming IPL season where he will look to help his team Chennai Super Kings defend the title.