1. Allow players without BCCI contracts to play in overseas T20 leagues - Suresh Raina | ESPNcricinfo.com  ESPNcricinfo
2. Aussies said ‘stay away from him’: Suresh Raina on Indian cricketer whom Australia feared the most  Hindustan Times
3. Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan want BCCI to allow Indian players to participate in foreign T20 leagues  Times of India
4. BCCI should allow non-contracted players to play in foreign leagues: Raina - Cricbuzz  Cricbuzz
5. Come and tell me you have 1 year: Irfan Pathan ready to come out of retirement if ‘communication’ is...  Hindustan Times
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Aussies said ‘stay away from him’: Suresh Raina on Indian cricketer whom Australia feared the most  Hindustan Times
2. Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan want BCCI to allow Indian players to participate in foreign T20 leagues  Times of India
3. BCCI should allow non-contracted players to play in foreign leagues: Raina - Cricbuzz  Cricbuzz
4. Come and tell me you have 1 year: Irfan Pathan ready to come out of retirement if ‘communication’ is...  Hindustan Times
5. 'MSK Prasad didn't speak to me', Suresh Raina hits back at former chief selector's claims  Times Now
6. View Full coverage on Google News

During the session, Raina also said that there was no communication between him and the then chairman of selectors MSK Prasad regarding his selection in the national team.

Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan want BCCI to let Indian cricketers participate i...

1. Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan want BCCI to allow Indian players to participate in foreign T20 leagues  Times of India
2. "Such A rHAIR Picture": CSK Troll Shikhar Dhawan For His Throwback Photo With Suresh Raina  NDTV Tamil
3. Wish BCCI plans with ICC: Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan want Indian players to participate in foreign T20...  Hindustan Times
4. Indian selectors made me an oldie at 30, didn't communicate with me: Irfan Pathan  CricTracker
5. MSK Prasad didn't speak to me at all: Suresh Raina responds to former chief selector's claims  CricTracker
6. View Full coverage on Google News

Suresh Raina has heaped praise on Rishabh Pant and said that the wicket-keeper is as dominant as Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag. Raina was doing an Instagram Live session with spinner Yuzvendra Chahal during which he praised Pant.

"He is a top cricketer, when he plays well, you become happy and he reminds of Yuvraj and Sehwag, he is as dominant as them, when he plays the flick, it reminds you of Dravid as well," Raina told Chahal during the Instagram Live session.

Raina also said that Virat Kohli's energy is a game-changer while he is leading the team in the shorter formats. "Virat is a solid captain, he has a lot of energy, he can control things, when you are playing shorter formats, you need a lot of energy and passion," he added.

Pant was last seen in action during India's two-match Test series against New Zealand earlier this year. In the series, Pant managed to score 60 runs. The wicket-keeper batsman has often been criticised for not putting a price on his wicket.

Earlier this year, he was replaced by KL Rahul as the wicket-keeper in the shorter formats. Pant would have been in action for the Delhi Capitals if the Indian Premier League (IPL) had commenced from March 29. However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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It is common for any captain to have a favourite player and when it came to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, it was Suresh Raina, who enjoyed unstinted backing from the former India captain, feels Yuvraj Singh. One of India's greatest limited-overs cricketers, Yuvraj remembered how Dhoni faced selection dilemma when he had to choose two out of him, Yusuf Pathan and Raina in the playing XI during the 2011 World Cup.

"Suresh Raina had a lot of support then, because MS used to back him. Every captain has a favourite player and I think Mahi really backed Raina at that time," Yuvraj said told 'Sports Tak'. Ultimately all three players made the playing XI (although Yusuf was dropped from playing XI mid-tournament) with Yuvraj playing a pivitol role in winning the title. "Yusuf Pathan was also performing well at that time and even I was doing well and was also picking wickets. And Raina was not in a good touch then," he said.

"They did not have a left-arm spinner at that time and I was picking wickets so they did not have any choice," he added. The swashbuckling batsmen also revealed questions were raised over the bat he used to famously hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over during the 2007 T20 World Cup, leading the match referee to check the willow. "The Australian coach at that time came to me and had asked if there was a fibre behind in my bat and asked if it was legal. Has the match referee checked it? So I told him to get it checked."

"Even (Adam) Gilchrist asked me who made our bats. So match referee had also checked my bat. But honestly, that bat was very special for me. I have never played with a bat like that. That one and the 2011 World Cup bat, there were special." Yuvraj was lavish in his praise for Sourav Ganguly for nurturing young talent and picked the BCCI President as his favourite skipper. "Dada would be my favourite captain. He supported me a lot, the most. We were young also so he nurtured the talent," Yuvraj said.

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Batsman Suresh Raina on Thursday asked Rohit Sharma to stay home and bake a cake as the right-handed batter celebrates his 33rd birthday today.

"Happy birthday, Rohit! Wishing you and the family health and happiness in these dire times. Stay home, stay safe, bake a cake. @ImRo45 #HappyBirthdayRohit," Raina tweeted.

Happy birthday, Rohit! Wishing you and the family health and happiness in these dire times. Stay home, stay safe, bake a cake. @ImRo45 #HappyBirthdayRohit pic.twitter.com/E2ToRIkGIS

— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) April 29, 2020

Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) official handle also shared a video of some of the special knocks played by Rohit in Test cricket to wish the batsman a very happy birthday.

"Happy Birthday, Hitman. On @ImRo45's special day, here is a recap of The Hitman show in whites. This one was in one of his favourite hunting grounds - Kolkata, #HappyBirthdayRohit," BCCI tweeted.

Coach of the Indian side, Ravi Shastri tweeted: "Happy Birthday, Sharmaaaa! Have a great year ahead. Here's wishing you and your family health and happiness, God Bless".

Pacer Mohammed Shami also took to Twitter to send in his wishes for Rohit Sharma.

"Happy birthday to you. From good friends and true, from old friends and new, may good luck go with you and happiness too! @ImRo45," Shami tweeted.

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Rohit Sharma finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer after registering 648 runs from just nine matches at an average of 81.00.

During the tournament, he had also become the first batsman to score five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is, and 32 Tests so far.

The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

Rohit is the only player in the world to have three double tons to his name in ODI cricket. He also holds the record for the highest individual score in the 50-over format as he played a knock of 264 runs against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year.

Rohit would have been in action for the Mumbai Indians had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The out of favour Suresh Raina might have felt hard done by the national selection committee but its former chairman MSK Prasad made it clear that it was poor form during the 2018-19 domestic season that became his undoing. The 33-year-old, who has appeared in 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is apart from 18 Tests, last played for India in July 2018 in England after which he was dropped for good. Last year, he had a knee surgery in The Netherlands and was eyeing a comeback with his favourite team Chennai Super Kings in the currently postponed Indian Premier League.

"See VVS Laxman, when he was dropped from the Indian Test squad in 1999, he forced himself back by scoring over 1400 runs in domestic cricket. This is what is expected from senior players when they are dropped," Prasad told PTI, expressing surprise at Raina's recent comments that selectors should have taken "more responsibility" as far as senior players were concerned. Raina scored 243 runs, with two fifties, in five Ranji games in 2018-19 season. A terrific IPL player, he scored only 383 runs in 17 games for CSK in 2019 which dashed his World Cup hopes.

"Unfortunately, we didn't see that form here in Raina's case in domestic cricket while other youngsters emerged at the big stage with their brilliant performances in domestic cricket and India A," Prasad, who had an eventful four-year tenure, said. Recently, Raina, during a YouTube show 'Sports Tak', accused the selectors of not clarifying why he was dropped, something that Prasad said wasn't "true".

"I think selectors should have taken more responsibility towards the senior players. Tell me, if I have any deficiency then I will work hard. When the cause is not known, how he will improve," Raina was quoted as saying. Prasad, a former India wicketkeeper, seemed hurt by the allegation from a veteran player, which he said was far from truth. "It is so sad to hear from him that selectors don't watch Ranji games. Please check the records with BCCI that how many matches were watched by senior selection committee members in the last four years." Prasad said he had personally spoken to Raina about his exclusion and told him what was expected of him.

"I had personally spoken to Raina calling him to my room and explained him the roadmap for his future comebacks. He had, back then, appreciated my efforts. I am really surprised when I have heard things which are exactly contrary to what had happened." In fact, he gave a lowdown of how many of Uttar Pradesh's Ranji matches he has seen. "I gave postings to my selectors looking at those matches where the consistent players, fringe players, probables or comeback players are playing.

"Personally, I watched four UP games in Lucknow and Kanpur in the last four years apart from the other many UP matches my colleagues have seen. ""I take pride in saying that our selection committee has watched more than 200 Ranji matches in the last four years." For any senior player, the template for national comeback should be that of Mohinder Amarnath, who made a record of sorts during his 20-year-career with the national team. "When a senior player is dropped from the squad, we expect him to go back to domestic cricket and get his form back," he said. "If you look at the great Mohinder Amarnath, check how many times he was dropped and made a strong comeback with stellar performances in domestic cricket."

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Suresh Raina on Tuesday tweeted a video of him working out with the song 'Bella Ciao' playing in the background. Raina posted boomerangs of him working out with his "little Bella." In one of those, his daughter Gracia can also be seen in the frame. "Another workout session with my little Bella. #Gracia," said Raina.

On Monday, Raina said that it was disturbing to see how there has been an "exponential" rise in the number of child abuse and domestic violence cases during the ongoing coronavirus crisis around the world. Raina has, therefore, urged people to raise their voice and report such cases without any fear.

Another workout session with my little Bella. #Gracia pic.twitter.com/CCb4ylo2JX

— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) May 5, 2020

"Lockdown has taught us various ways to love and bond with our family," Raina said on Twitter. "Though it's disturbing to read how exponentially the no. of child abuse and domestic violence cases have grown around the world.

"I urge anyone who is facing violence please reach out for help and don't shut yourself," he added. Earlier, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan and his wife Ayesha had also put out a video on social media to send an important message regarding domestic violence. Dhawan urged people to put an end to this social evil by choosing the right partner for themselves.

"While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly sad and disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time and we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence," read his Twitter post which he published in April.

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In a fun video posted by CSK, MS Dhoni can be seen pulling Suresh Raina's leg. In the video, Raina walks up to Dhoni and hugs him before Dhoni jokingly reminds the batsman that his beard has turned white. They break into a laughter after that. CSK took to Twitter to post the video which read: "Like the sky! @msdhoni @ImRaina #WhistlePodu."

With people staying at home amid coronavirus lockdown in India, reports of domestic violence and child abuse have also come out a lot more in recent times.

Raina also went on to have a successful international career. He played an integral role in India's win at the 2011 World Cup.

With the world coming to a standstill due to the coronavirus outbreak, sporting events across the globe have either been cancelled or suspended and sportspersons have been spending a lot of time interacting with fans on social media.

In fact, he gave a lowdown of how many of Uttar Pradesh's Ranji matches he has seen.

Former West Indies cricketer Brian Lara has walked down the memory lane as he took to social media and shared a throwback picture of him posing with Indian batsman Suresh Raina.