Former India batsman Suresh Raina recalled being part of some of India’s greatest wins with his former teammate Sachin Tendulkar. Raina, who played with Tendulkar in ODIs and T20Is for nearly seven years was part of some of Indian cricket’s finest wins, the biggest being the World Cup 2011 which the side won after 28 years. Raina listed some of the matches that he cherishes the most in which he is involved with Tendulkar.
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“I had many memorable moments with paaji once I started playing for India,” Raina told ESPNCricinfo. The biggest one obviously is winning the 2011 World Cup, but apart from that, winning the CB series in Australia [in 2008], the ODI and Test series in New Zealand [in 2008-09] and becoming the No. 1 Test team. I was at the other end when paaji scored his 100th international hundred.”
Raina was at the non-striker’s end when Tendulkar got to one of the many remarkable batting feats of his career, scoring the 100th international century. Against Bangladesh in the 2012 Asia cup, Raina and Tendulkar were part of an 86-run partnership with the former left-hander scoring a fifty. Prior to the match, the quest of the 100th ton had affected Tendulkar and India’s performances alike, so when Tendulkar took the single to finally get rid of the monkey off his back, it meant a lot to everyone involved.
{{/usCountry}}Raina was at the non-striker’s end when Tendulkar got to one of the many remarkable batting feats of his career, scoring the 100th international century. Against Bangladesh in the 2012 Asia cup, Raina and Tendulkar were part of an 86-run partnership with the former left-hander scoring a fifty. Prior to the match, the quest of the 100th ton had affected Tendulkar and India’s performances alike, so when Tendulkar took the single to finally get rid of the monkey off his back, it meant a lot to everyone involved.
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Raina revealed what Tendulkar told him upon reaching the 100th century. “After he took a single off Shakib [Al Hasan] to reach the milestone, I congratulated him saying, ‘Well done, paaji, it was due for so many months.’ He said, ‘My hair has turned grey waiting for this moment.’ That’s when I realised how much mental weight he was carrying all that while,” Raina said.
Tendulkar announced his retirement from ODIs later that year, before bowing out of international cricket a year later. Raina on the other hand, announced his retirement from international cricket last year on August 15, moments after MS Dhoni ended his near 16-year-long India career.