Indian Cricket Team Seniors: What the future has in store for them

Suresh Raina:

Raina has not received a BCCI contract renewal this year

The image of a 20-year-old Suresh Raina leading India to an unlikely target of 227 after half of the lineup was back in the hut with the score at 92, will never fade away. The temperament and maturity exhibited by someone who had not even played 10 ODIs until then spoke volumes of his talent with the willow.

That, coupled with his electric fielding and sportsmanship, made sure that he was not one to fade into obscurity.

Raina is an absolute legend when it comes to the IPL, and T20s in general, and he has the distinction of being the first Indian to score a hundred in T20Is. The southpaw was a vital cog in the middle order in the late 2000s and during India's World Cup triumph in 2011.

In Tests, however, he wasn't a regular due to his infamous weakness against short balls. Lately, the same weakness has let him down in limited-overs cricket as well. Though gutsy as ever, his batting prowess is frequently overshadowed by his vulnerability to bouncers and balls just outside off stump.

This Indian side have a handful of quality fielders, and Raina's exceptional fielding is no longer an X-factor. That he was not offered a BCCI contract this year does not bode well for him, and though he has age on his side, he is unlikely to return to the fold any time soon.