The 31-year-old, who was a vital component of the side’s 2011 ICC World Cup winning side, ultimately lost his place after a string of poor performances against South Africa at home in 2015.
Ironically, he was sorely missed in India’s defeat at the hands of the Proteas in the fourth ODI at Johannesburg on Saturday. After Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli had set up the visitors nicely for a final assault in the death overs, India’s middle-order batsmen failed to drive home the advantage.
That proved costly as the hosts kept the series alive with a thrilling five-wicket win. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and MS Dhoni failed to provide the acceleration needed in the closing stages as India went from 200-2 in 34 overs to eventually finish on 289-7.
As the middle-order struggled to lift the scoring rate despite being given the perfect platform, one could not help but wonder how valuable a quick-fire 30 or 40 from Raina would have been in that instance. The southpaw’s role in the erstwhile Indian side had been that of a finisher, the batsman who profits in the death overs after the top order has laid a solid foundation.
Yuvraj and Raina were excellent finishers for India in their prime.
It was this ability of Raina, and Yuvraj Singh as well, to score quick runs towards the end that was a valuable asset to the ODI side. The fact that the pair could also bowl some part-time spin was an added bonus.
India’s template in 50-over cricket over the past few years has depended on the top-order sticking around until the 40th over mark before launching a final assault.
With Dhoni’s powers fading, the middle-order conundrum facing Kohli at the moment can all be attributed to a failure to replace Raina and Yuvraj adequately.
They may have potentially secured the latter’s replacement in Hardik Pandya but there still remains a Raina-shaped void.
