Suresh Raina - A litmus test in Zimbabwe

A dejected Suresh Raina walks after losing his wicket during the 2nd match of the 5 match ODI series vs. hosts Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on July 26, 2013. (Getty Images)

Being victorious on back-to-back away tournaments is a rare phenomenon for India. Both the ICC Champions Trophy and Tri Series victory was a team effort, in which Suresh Raina had little to do. Raina as always, was excellent at slip corridor along with Ravichandran Ashwin, but he didn’t do much else.

During the ICC Champions Trophy in England, his zero-immunity to the short ball was again on cards, and bowlers looked to exploit it as he failed miserably and scored a paltry 17 runs in his three innings. In West Indies, during the first round of Tri Series which included Sri Lanka, he got starts on the both occasions but failed to convert them.

Raina’s scores since 2013:

RUNS SCORED	OPPOSITION
9	SA
7*	SL
1	Eng
44	WI
33	SL
10	WI
4*	SL
32	SL
0	Zim
4	Zim

Since the start of the season, Raina averages only 18.00 with his bat. The tour of Zimbabwe might not be as popular as other series, but it is probably one of the best chances he is going to get to recapture his from.

While the team management has decided to give its pool of bowlers a run-in, the batting line-up looks strong with all premium players. But Raina needs to prove his mettle and show us that he belongs in that list.

Ambati Rayudu may have faltered in the second game but he did manage to score a flawless 63 in his debut innings. Dinesh Karthik has come good as well. Raina however has failed in both innings, and has managed to pile the pressure on himself by getting out cheaply.

The 3rd ODI between India and Zimbabwe might be Raina’s final chance to get back as the management might find a way to give Cheteshwar Pujara a look-in.

In October, India will host Australia to seven ODIs and a T20I before they go for South Africa. Players like Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary would look to grab a ticket on that plane and Raina maybe the casualty on current form.

Therefore it is now that Raina learns how to stick his ground, build on his starts and pass his litmus test.