After making impressive debuts in their respective openers, Rising Pune Supergiants and GujaratLions will test each others' strengths when the two new entrants clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL), in Rajkot on Thursday. The two teams feature a lot of faces from the suspended Chennai Super Kings and at least six players, who played in the same side till last year, will now be in opposite camps. Close friends and CSK teammates Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina will now be devising strategies as rival captains. Both have admitted that playing in a jersey other than 'yellow' has been very "emotional" but have promised to give their all for their new teams. The Dhoni-led Pune Supergiants were very convincing and dominant when they handed defending champions Mumbai Indians a nine-wicket drubbing. They did not even require their middle order, packed with Dhoni himself and players such as Steven Smith, to come out with the top-order delivering it for them comfortably.
Coach Duncan Fletcher devices innovative methods to help batsmen counter short-pitched deliveries
India captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in the opening game of the IndianOil Cup tri-series tournament
Suresh Raina's unbeaten half-century guided Chennai Super Kings to a thumping nine-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders and took them to second place in the IPL league table.
Dwayne Smith starred with the ball before Suresh Raina struck a sublime half century to guide Gujarat Lions to a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in Kanpur, taking them closer to a spot in the play-offs of the Indian Premier League.
With the Indian batting in disarray, Suresh Raina's recent good form gives the Selection Committee, meeting shortly to decide on the squad for the home series against Australia, food for thought.
Soon after India had suffered a humiliating innings and six runs defeat in the opening Test at Nagpur on Tuesday, the selection panel made changes in the squad for the second Test at Kolkata that weren't too convincing. The All-India Senior Selection Committee decided to include Dinesh Karthik, S Sreesanth and Suresh Raina in the squad at the expense of Wriddhiman Saha, Abhimanyu Mithun and Sudeep Tyagi.
Claiming to have done his bit to infuse some positivity into the beleaguered Indian team, ODI specialist Suresh Raina says the side will have to show character to get over the Test debacle and clinch the limited overs series starting in Bristol, on Monday.
A rejuvenated India clinched the One-Day International series against England as the hosts rode on the batting heroics of Rohit Sharma (83) and Suresh Raina (89 not out) to fashion a comfortable five-wicket victory in the fourth ODI and take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that Virat Kohli has the edge over Suresh Raina to bat at number four going by the current form of the two players while also saying that he would want Yuvraj Singh in the playing eleven for the World Cup.
Statistical highlights of the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers Visakahapatnam on Saturday.
The fit-again Yuvraj Singh broke into the top-20 while Suresh Raina got a major confidence booster ahead of the World T20 in Sri Lanka, emerging as the highest-placed Indian batsmen at number three, in the latest ICC Player Rankings for the shortest format.
'Shubman Gill is a great thinker and player, but man management will be key to his leadership success.'
Suresh Raina has come out in full support of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
His confidence on a high after an impressive display against Pakistan in India's World Cup opener, all-rounder Suresh Raina wants to fill in the shoes of Yuvraj Singh, the hero of 2011 edition, in the ongoing showpiece event being jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Seeking to prove his detractors wrong, Suresh Raina has stated that he was "built" for Test cricket and is working on playing the short ball -- perceived to be the batsman's weakness -- better.
"Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh are not 100 per cent fit, so we have kept a backup for them in the next two games," chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar informed in Mumbai on Monday.
The three-day tour match between India A and England will be more than a practice match for players from both the teams. For England, who have won just one Test match in India since 1985, it is a chance to get acclimatised to the conditions before the all-important four-match Test series starting later this month.
Mumbai Ranji Trophy coach Pravin Amre tells Harish Kotian how Suresh Raina prepared for the ODI series in England.
Young players like Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma lack the "all-consuming" desperation to do well in Test cricket because they have other options, feels former India captain Rahul Dravid.
# Raina's strike rate of 144.44 is his fourth highest and the highest against Sri Lanka in an innings in ODIs when he has posted a fifty-plus innings.
Suresh Raina will India in the ODI series against the West Indies next month after both Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh were ruled out on account of injury.
Suresh Raina was presented a golden opportunity to force his way back into the Test squad after being named captain of the Board President's XI, which will play the West Indies in a three-day warm-up match ahead of the Test series that follows the ongoing One-day internationals.
A good performance in the inconsequential fourth and final Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval will be a shot in the arm for the demoralized Indian team ahead of the triangular One-day series to be held next month, said middle-order batsman Suresh Raina on Thursday.
India's stand-in skipper Suresh Raina is so disappointed with his shot-selection in the last two one-dayers against the West Indies that he plans to work hard on his batting in the nets to improve himself before the Tests starting Monday.
India's One-Day International captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Tuesday, lamented the absence of a good attacking batsman lower down the order for the forthcoming tour of Australia for a One-day series, starting on January 12.
The IPL pricing so far has been extremely irrational, and one expects franchise owners to correct this in subsequent years.
If players like Suresh Raina fails in Test cricket due to lack of technique against short pitched deliveries, it would be a big loss for the game, former Australian captain Ian Chappell has said.
A video showing Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Raina mimicking physical discomfort by limping and holding their backs has resulted in a police complaint
Pakistan has the upper hand in the Champions Trophy, winning three of the five matches against India.
Senior batsman Suresh Raina hit a strokeful century to help India 'A' outplay Bangladesh 'A' by 75 runs via Duckworth/Lewis method in the third unofficial rain-hit ODI and clinch the series 2-1 in Bengaluru.
Stand-in captain Suresh Raina is happy that the new-look Indian team that got very little time to prepare for the West Indies series have produced results.
Durga Ashtami is the 8th day of the Navratri festival.
'In auction economics, it is very difficult to retain everybody. We were aware of it...we will lose somebody. We will also get somebody in their place. Now, we have to get the best out of what we have.'
Light rain and overcast conditions have delayed the start of the first Test between India and England at Lord's. A slight drizzle a couple of hours before the scheduled start of play on Thursday, followed by dark sky caused the delay.
Suresh Raina has been a part of the IPL since its inception and has scored 5,528 runs for CSK.
Virat Kohli became the first RCB player to complete 100 catches, while CSK smashed the third-highest number of sixes in an IPL innings against KKR.
Gujarat Lions skipper Suresh Raina, Mumbai Indians spinner Harbhajan Singh and Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar have got a place in former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting's Best XI of Indian Premier League 2017.
Uttar Pradesh clinched their maiden Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy with a thumping 38-run win over two-time champions Baroda in the final under flood-lights at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The national selection panel, headed by Sandeep Patil, sent out a strong message by axing the experienced Suresh Raina and Ishant Sharma, with the 50-overs World Cup just a year away.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances