Suresh Raina announced his retirement from the IPL, ending a glorious run as Mr. IPL. Over fourteen years, Suresh Raina had to his name some of the greatest records in the IPL. With his retirement, a career, as one of India’s first players to tackle T20 cricket is now moving away.

Explosive hitting, jaw dropping fielding and the ability to chip in with a few overs are key traits to a successful T20 cricketer. India had a fair number of batters who could bowl consistently back in the day. Suresh Raina though, was a part of a small group of players who could do all three consistently. There was Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag who were of the same mold. Suresh Raina though set himself apart with his fielding and consistency.

While Suresh Raina failed to get big scores consistently, it was his scores in the 30s were often game changing. His twin 30s in the 2011 World Cup were vital to winning the World Cup. His style of play has also received a lot of praise from various sources. In the 2014 T20 World Cup Finals as well, when India failed to finish strong, Dhoni stated that Suresh Raina is one of the only players in the line-up who can attack from ball one. From that day on though, India went on to develop a vast group of players who can come out with intent. Now, they have an entire middle-order in Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda and Hardik Pandya who can do what Raina did back in the day.

Even throughout the IPL, Suresh Raina has proven his worth with his 30s. He does have a lot of half-centuries, but it was the intent at which he came out to bat that made a difference. While batters around him take time to settle, Raina is often seen starting with a flurry of boundaries. He gets his team off to quick starts in the first ten overs. Playing very few dot balls, running hard between wickets and clearing the infield were his strengths. His Inside-out shot earned him a handful of runs against pace. In the middle-overs as well, Raina never slowed down.

He hardly lets spinners settle and took apart some of the greats in the IPL. Until 2019, Suresh Raina had an incredible record against Sunil Narine. Till that point, Suresh Raina completely owned battles between the two. His intent, ensured the team never slows down, making it easy for the middle-order to settle adn go big.

There are a few occasions where he takes it forward as well, and when he does, the team often gets to some really big scores. For all his troubles against the short-ball, Suresh Raina has a century against South Africa in the West Indies. He took on a bowling attack with the likes of Dale Steyn, to become the first Indian to make a T20I century. He has a century each in the IPL and Champions trophy as well, and both were rather quick innings.

The best example though of an innings of intent is his 87 off 25. Chasing a target of 232, Suresh Raina single-handedly kept his side in the fight. He took the team to a hundred runs in the powerplay alone. His innings though was ended rather tamely. He was run-out leaving fans wondering what could have been if he batted through. The innings still remains one of the best and most aggressive knocks in the IPL along with Hardik Pandya’s 91 off 34 balls in 2019.

While his batting is his primary skill, Suresh Raina was no mug with the ball. He was a captains dream, as Suresh Raina, along with Ravindra Jadeja are brilliant at keeping up with the over-rate. While playing both CSK and India, opponents would often be taken aback at the speed at which they silently complete their overs. Suresh Raina was really good at silently completing his overs with part-time spin. He also picked up some vital wickets, while maintaining a strong economy rate.

Some important spells of his include a silent three over spell in the Champions Trophy Finals, on a spinning track, and a quick four-over spell in the 2016 World Cup against New Zealand. He has a four-wicket haul in the format as well, against the Victorian Bushrangers. Bowling with a wet-ball, Raina kept finding ways to pick up wickets. He bowled the Final over of the match as well, and held the game down to a draw.

The best aspect of his game though, is his fielding. Raina may not seem as athletic as Kohli or Jadeja. His ability to cover the outfield is second to none, while he never hesitates to throw himself around in the field. In the 2011 World Cup, he was a thorn for oppositions at extra-cover. With him in the covers, Kohli at mid-off and Yuvraj Singh at point, singles were really tough to find. His fielding skills defined Dhoni’s notion that a fielder can win games for his side on a consistent basis.

Unlike others though, Suresh Raina proved to be a good fielder all-round. He is among the best fielders at slip, and has taken some blinders in the position. His ability to produce blinders in the slips is what earned him two best catch of the season awards in the IPL.

After silently leading the way in the format in its early days, Suresh Raina now walks away. He leaves, with the Indian team having a much more explosive batting line-up now. After quietly contributing in all aspects of the game, and mesmerizing the World with his inside out shots, Suresh Raina ends his journey in yellow, walking away as a legend for the Chennai Super Kings.