Dont turn Raina into Kaif

[PotterManiac]

I think it depends upon the situation of the match. Suppose its a time when the team is looking to opt for the batting powerplay-If Raina's in the middle then, then its a real treat for the crowd. He is undoubtedly one of the most big hitters currently playing. Some of the shots he plays is just amazing. At the same time, if things are looking dreadful for the team, it'd be wise for somebody like yuvraj, Dhoni etc to step up to the task of coming at the top of the order.

[achilles]

If you are not in form, you will be persisted with a bit and then shown the door. Its been the norm for years now. Raina pushes his luck a bit too much. About time he performs consistently. As for him playing at 6, well I agree. He shouldn't be playing there. A slogger should.

[zubinpepsi]

Rainaboy is slowing disappearing into oblivion me thinks... :((

[graphic23]

Arre Zubin, fear not. I think the reason he's kept down the order is because he has an extremely awesome hitting ability, and he's also a proper batsman, so if we lose the top order, he can still be there.

[Show_stopper]

Hes not disappearing into oblivio..but there is a strong chance that someone like Kohli will get the Test spot(when it becomes vacant) ahead of him. ALso its not good for his development as a batsman...but he can't complain really. Team is the first priority..and full credit to kohli the way he has grabbed his opportunity.

[vvvslaxman]

Raina is kept for strategic reasons. Raina is a big hitter more than a single pusher. Karthik was exactly they needed. He won't get stuck at one end.

[Show_stopper]

^ thats not true..watch the highlights of sachin's 175 innings..v/s aAus recently or the two ODI series we played in SL over the last year(before compaq cup) to know just how good raina is when it comes to rotating strike. Anyways I agree with the point that Kohli and Karthik have to come ahead..their big hitting is not nearly as reliable as Raina's.

[vvvslaxman]

^ thats not true..watch the highlights of sachin's 175 innings..v/s aAus recently or the two ODI series we played in SL over the last year(before compaq cup) to know just how good raina is when it comes to rotating strike. Anyways I agree with the point that Kohli and Karthik have to come ahead..their big hitting is not nearly as reliable as Raina's.

Don't forget Raina gave atleast 4 chances against Australia. He always takes risks. Sometimes it might not come off.

[Show_stopper]

What chances dude? Evrybody gets lucky from time to time. And its not good enough to jst point one game. Wat about the two series against SL in SL? He was the reason we won the first series..got 2 60's in the games we won. I don't think you can class Kohli as a guy who doesn't take risks either.

[vvvslaxman]

What chances dude? Evrybody gets lucky from time to time. And its not good enough to jst point one game. Wat about the two series against SL in SL? He was the reason we won the first series..got 2 60's in the games we won.

If the RRR is high Raina is the best option. If it is around 6 or below Karthik would be better as he could play risk free cricket and churn over the strike. So far Karthik hasn't put a foot wrong while staying at wicket in two successive run chases.

[Show_stopper]

^ oh you were talking about karthik, is it? well you're right that karthik hasn't done anything wrong so far...but really now you can't judge him by that. The match was sealed in both cases long before he arrived to the crease..you could argue otherwise. And I doubt karthik would have been able to do what Raina did in the 2nd ODI(the one we lost..but we did get to 301). I like Karthik...but the thing is I'm sure the management has him there as a replacement for Dhoni. Don't think he will retain his place once MSD is back.

[spectre]

If the RRR is high Raina is the best option. If it is around 6 or below Karthik would be better as he could play risk free cricket and churn over the strike. So far Karthik hasn't put a foot wrong while staying at wicket in two successive run chases.

Kathik has done well, but to say he can play risk free cricket better than Raina, i dont agree with, its just the situation Raina comes in at Remember Asia cup, where he came at the top, scored almost in every match and was milking the middle overs. Raina is doing a thankless job, either comes in when the team need a flurry or when the chips are down and a rebuild is required He had a wonderful partnership with Sachin on that epic chase, almost pulled it off and in the recent match with Dhoni, he gave the impetus to that partnership I agree he is kept down as a strategy, but the other young guys are no way near the caliber of Raina

[Show_stopper]

Spectre and Zubin...I feel your pain guys!!! But no reason to fret..I'm 100% Raina will be a big name in world cricket in 5-7 years from now on. ou can't subdue that king of class forever. He has the best techique among all youngsters I've seen so far(in defense as well as when he is attacking). the only problem is guys like kohli are much better at playing the pull shot. but that doesn't mean they have better backfoot technique than Raina..just see the way they defend or cover drive for example to see the difference in class.

[achilles]

Talking of sloggers, drop Raina. Enter Uthappa. :yay:

[vvvslaxman]

Raina has already surpassed useless Kaif who couldn't hit a four to save his life.

[rahulrulezz]

Its good to see so many Raina supporters... good thing is that everyone holds high regard of the guy... I'm hoping that selectors have same faith and trust in Raina as all of us... Raina is our matchwinner and 100 times better than DK or Jadeja