Suresh Raina surprised one and all with his sudden decision to retire from international cricket on Saturday (August 15).
The southpaw called time on his India career minutes after the legendary MS Dhoni announced his international retirement, finally putting an end to all the speculations surrounding his future.
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A day later, the BCCI issued a press release and confirmed that Raina conveyed his decision to retire to the board.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly hailed the left-hander as one of the key performers for India in white-ball cricket.
"Suresh Raina has been one of the key performers in limited-overs cricket for India. Coming lower down the order and playing some of the match-winning knocks requires a lot of skill and talent," Ganguly said in a statement.
"He along with Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni formed a solid middle order for India in ODIs. I wish him and his family all the very best," he added.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah also congratulated Raina on a remarkable career and termed him as one of the finest to play the shortest format.
"Suresh Raina has been arguably one of the finest T20 batsmen. A live wire on the field, Raina's prowess as a left-handed batsman was exhibited throughout his cricketing career," Shah said.
"A big match player, Raina's cameo against Australia in the quarterfinal in the 2011 World Cup was a testimony to his glittering career that followed. I wish him all the very best in the second innings of his career," he further remarked.
Suresh Raina made his India debut against Sri Lanka in an ODI in Dambulla on July 30, 2005. While the 33-year-old got out on first-ball duck in his maiden international appearance, he went on to establish himself as one of India’s leading white-ball cricketers.
Raina represented the country in 226 ODIs, amassing 5615 runs at an average of 35.15 with 5 hundreds and 36 half-centuries. He also featured in 78 T20Is, scoring 1605 runs at a strike-rate of 134.87, including 1 ton and 5 fifties.
Raina will now be seen in action for Chennai Super Kings in the 2020 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), slated to be held in UAE from September 19.
