Return of Suresh Raina offers flexibility to Indian middle order

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Bengaluru, February 26: 15 off seven balls. 30 off 24. 43 off 27. The numbers of Suresh Raina in the T20Is against South Africa are not jaw-dropping, especially considering the nature of the format.

But the significance of Raina contains in those less than extraordinary numbers. This is not to say that the runs he made were cheap. The series against Proteas was his first international assignment after February 2017, and there could have been some pressure on Raina to rattle up decent numbers.

And the South Africans are not precisely warm hosts either. Raina tamed those internal and external pressures to announce his return to the India colours in a fine manner.

But there's more to Raina's return than those numbers. The Uttar Pradesh man, who looked every bit desperate to make his comeback count in South Africa, can bring variety, experience and flexibility to India's middle order in the limited over versions.

Skipper Virat Kohli had said that the No 4 slot was still open while other slots have been more or less sealed in the run up to the ICC World Cup 2019.

Yes, there are other contenders like Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik for that berth but none offer the freedom and options Raina brings to the table.

Kohli had dropped himself to No 4 giving that space to Raina in the T20Is against South Africa. While the move adds weight to the middle order, it is hard to imagine Kohli regularly sacrificing his preferred berth in the ODIs.

But Raina's comeback gives Kohli the option to place Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No 4. It will suit the veteran wicketkeeper as well because at 36 his hitting abilities are not the same as it once was - that even after including his fifty in the second T20I in Centurion.

In that scenario, Raina can be offered a chance at No 5 or 6 and the left-hander has the ability to add steam or finish off the games. Throw in others like Rahane/Pandey (at No 5) and Hardik Pandya (all-rounder at No 7), the Indian middle-order will have lot more dexterity to it.

Of course, Raina can be a handy option as a part-time spinner in limited overs and he is still one of the finest and the most committed fielders around.

Raina too was aiming for the ODI return. His last one-dayer for India was against South Africa in October 2015.

"If you see the top order, they are all batting well. When you come to the middle order, MS (Dhoni) is there and Manish (Pandey) is also doing a good job.

"So, we will see where I can fit in. There are a lot of matches coming up now. Winning games is more important than being which format I am playing or not.

"It is a long road to the World Cup from here on. First we have the tri-series in Sri Lanka, then we have the IPL, so we need to keep fresh, keep winning. Closer to the World Cup we will be able to tell where we are going. It is important to stay in present," Raina said.

Raina has taken care of the present with some clean hitting against South Africa in the T20Is. Of course, three T20s are not exactly a tool to measure someone who is making comeback after a year as a long term prospect or in this case whether Raina has overcome some of his past frailities.

But we will have an answer in the immediate future. Raina will get some more chances during India's latest Sri Lankan gig - the Nidahas Trophy T20I tri-series next month.

Till then Raina is a comforting thought!