Rahul Dravid heaps praise on Suresh Raina’s glittering India career

India’s batting stalwart, Rahul Dravid has given a glowing tribute to the recently retired India batsman, Suresh Raina. Joining MS Dhoni in his decision to retire from the international cricket, Raina also hung his boots at the age of 33. The left-handed batsman featured in more than 300 international matches for India and scored around 8,000 runs while contributing strongly with his fielding and his on-field behaviour. Dravid, the man who had presented hin with Test and ODI caps, revived memories of Raina’s playing days.

In a video shared by BCCI via their official website, Dravid spoke about his junior teammate.

MUST WATCH – As @ImRaina walks into the sunset, here’s a heartfelt tribute from the legendary Rahul Dravid, who presented the left-hander with his most prized possessions – the ODI and Test cap.#RainaRetires pic.twitter.com/xqPnmAYatj

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 18, 2020

Dravid was leading the Indian team when Raina made his international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka in July 2005. “Suresh Raina was one of those young exciting talents coming through the system around 2004 or 2005. (He was) playing U-19 cricket and doing exceptionally well… A lot of success India has had in white-ball cricket, the great memories India has had, Suresh has been a big part of them. His contribution to Indian cricket has been fantastic, especially in the white ball game. He is a World Cup winner and a Champions Trophy winner.

“You always felt Suresh did all the difficult things for India. Batting lower down the order when honestly his numbers would have been a lot better had he batted higher up. That is seen in the success he has had playing for CSK where he bats at no.3 and he has a phenomenal record. For India, he mostly batted lower down the order, fielded in difficult positions, bowled some very handy overs and brought a lot to the team. Someone who I would think of as a terrific teammate,” Dravid added.

Raina responded to the legend’s praise in his latest Instagram post.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Thank you so much Rahul Bhai for such encouraging words. You have been my source of inspiration since I was a kid & eventually commencing my cricketing journey under your guidance was a dream come true. Getting my first one day & test cap from you was one of the most thrilling moment of my life. You always took care of me as one of your own. You made my day with this message. ?

A post shared by Suresh Raina (@sureshraina3) on Aug 18, 2020 at 3:02am PDT