Not too long ago, it looked like Suresh Raina’s India career was done.

In Uttar Pradesh’s five matches in the Ranji Trophy late last year, Raina - the captain - made 105 runs at an average of 11.66. His highest across the season was 33. He was eighth in the list of top run-getters among his teammates. He had not played for India since the T20I against Engalind in February that year. He was not picked again in 2017 amid reports that he had failed the yo-yo test.

And you could see why. He didn’t look his fittest self even during the IPL campaign. It was, by his own account, a tough phase for Raina - with reports of his family members being unwell and his focus not entirely on playing cricket.

But, at the start of 2018, he turned things around. His form surged in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy - an unbeaten 56-ball 126 was a stunning innings that caught everyone’s attention. And then came the confirmation that Chennai Super Kings were retaining him alongside MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja - another vote of confidence. The call-up to the India squad for South Africa duly followed.

Three T20Is in South Africa is not definitive enough to call his comeback to India’s colours as a success, but Raina showed he is not done yet.

Comebacks more difficult

Before departing for South Africa, Raina was combative about his chances of making the opportunity that has been presented to him count.

“I was hurt on getting dropped even after performing well [in his final T20I before this SA. But now I have cleared the Yo-Yo test and feeling so strong. During all these months of hard training, the desire to play for India again grew only so much stronger. I won’t leave it here. I have to play for India for as long as possible. I have to play the 2019 World Cup because I know I have done well in England. There is still a lot left in me and I am extremely confident of doing well in these three games in South Africa.”  

And he lived up to his word. Scores of 15 (7 balls), 31 (24 balls) and 43 (27 balls) are not earth-shattering at first glance. But the manner in which those runs were scored is what will fill Raina with confidence.

Being promoted to No 3 ahead of Virat Kohli was an invitation to go big from the first ball. One of India’s problem areas in T20Is was a sedate batting powerplay (by T20 standards) and this team clearly wanted to address that without having to sacrifice Kohli. And that’s where Raina came in handy.

In the first match, he hit the third ball he faced for a six and the fourth for a four. In the second match, the third ball he faced was sent to the boundary. In the third match, all it took was one ball for Raina to score his first six - a stylish whip over square leg.

Raina was batting with the confidence of a man who has played many a crucial innings for the Chennai franchise at this very position. There was a hint of fearlessness to his presence in the middle during all three outings. He did not seem to get bogged down by the pressure of having to attack without getting his eye in - a task especially harder on comeback as failures might mean end of the road.

Instead, Raina showed the one ability that made him a constant feature in all of MS Dhoni’s teams - the ability to adapt to the situation and shift gears with alarming ease. Before his international slump began, Raina was earmarked as the man to take over the finisher’s role in ODIs with Dhoni wanting to move up the order because of the same reason Kohli promoted him to No 3 in these T20Is.

A successful outing

His man-of-the-match trophy in the third T20I for his 27-ball 43 and a useful wicket that of David Miller when he came to roll his arm over was a just reward.

And just as he mentioned before the series began, he reiterated that his ultimate aim is to win back the spot in the ODI squad, to play for India at a World Cup again, confidently proclaiming that it was only a matter of time. What the 5-1 scoreline in the ODI series against South Africa doesn’t convey is that the middle order problem continues to persist for Kohli.

The top three did all the heavy-lifting, finishing on top of the run-scoring charts, both sides combined. And No 4 onwards, confusion persists. Ajinkya Rahane looked good in patches but threw his wicket away on a couple of occasions. Kedar Jadhav, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik - none of these names have grabbed their opportunities by the scruff of the neck. And that has left a door open for the likes of Raina, who - let’s not forget - is still only 31 years old and boasts a good record in ODIs at Nos 4 and 5.

ODI career: 192 innings, 5568 runs, Average 35.46, SR 93.76, Five 100s
At No 4 and 5: 99 innings, 3077 runs, Average 37.07, SR 95.73, Four 100s

The importance of this comeback was not lost on Raina. Speaking after the T20I series, he said:

“I worked really hard for two years. Each and every session, I was doing in the gym, on the field, I was just (thinking) when I am going to play for India again. I think God helped. Thanks to my wife, my kid to make me believe I can go there and wear the jersey again. That’s what I think the Indian team does. When you make a lot of sacrifices in your life and at the same time you enjoy your game, (it works out). I worked really hard on my game and my mental toughness.”

Raina knows this is his ticket to England for the World Cup. With the big guns being rested for the upcoming T20I tri-series in Sri Lanka, Raina has a few more opportunities to solidify his claims before the IPL comes along and he is reunited with Dhoni and CSK.

Should he have a good couple of months with the bat, don’t be surprised if Raina makes the flight to England one year ahead of the World Cup.