Suresh Raina has so far been the outstanding player of the Asia cup. He struck 301 runs in his first three innings, was not out once and produced a strike rate of 123.36, helped by his hitting of 11 sixes. Impressive figures for anyone, but especially so for a 21 year old who is yet to make his Test debut.
The statistics only tell half the story. He warmed up with a rapid ton against the part-time bowlers of Hong Kong, but his subsequent innings against Pakistan and Bangladesh were match-winning ones, made when batting a second, which is the hardest time to bat. Batsmen must constantly be aware of their target and Raina paced his knocks perfectly in pursuit of respective targets of 300 and 284.
This is an exciting time for Indian cricket. The Indian Premier League has raised the profile of players in the country and homegrown players are getting exposure to top level cricket in the tournament at a young age. Much has been said about the power shift in the game and it certainly appears that India will be the long-term challengers to Australia's crown as the world's best.
A glance at the talent available to India shows their potential. Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are three of the most devastating One Day players around and Gautham Gambhir confirmed his promise in the IPL and is now a dashing fixture at the top of the order. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Saurav Ganguly (Asian cricketer of the year in 2007) are out of the picture at the moment and yet these legends of the last decade or two are barely missed.
Raina first made an impression on me during England's tour in 2006. An unexpected 1-1 draw in the Test series was followed by a one-sided ODI series that Raina prospered in. He produced a string of measured innings that belied his tender years, showing the maturity in the run chase that is evident in the Asia cup.
A lean spell of no fifties in 15 innings followed but the selectors showed faith in his ability by recalling him for the trip to Australia earlier this year. His talent has been apparent from a young age and as an U19 international was selected to attend a prestigious academy in Australia to develop his game.
Raina's left-handed technique is a perfect mix of power and grace. He does not possess the physical presence of Sehwag or Yuvraj yet can clear the ropes with similar ease and is more adept at finding gaps and rotating the strike. His mental attributes are just as important and his ability to build an innings makes him useful as both a number three and a 'finisher' lower down the order. He can switch from attack to run accumulation depending on the state of the game and appears well-suited to transfer his skills to the Test arena.
There is an end of an era approaching in Indian cricket and there was a time when Tendulkar, Ganguly and Anil Kumble seemed irreplaceable. The emergence of RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha and Raina suggests that Indian fans need not worry.
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