UP stalwart Suresh Raina is of the opinion that an axed cricketer should get a chance to make his way back into the national team. He sees a way to get back could be by playing at foreign leagues. “Players out of contract with the BCCI should be allowed to played overseas leagues in the T20 format”, says Raina.
On a recent Instagram live-chat with former teammate Irfan Pathan, Raina expressed his desire to play again for the country, and so do aged yet talented cricketers like Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa to name a few. He further added that baring Indian players, players from all other countries are allowed to play in leagues other than their national leagues. It not only gives the players exposure but also a platform to make their performance count and get into reckoning for a place in their national team.
Raina’s expression on social media came days after former national team selection chief MSK Prasad claimed to having spoken to Raina about the reasons for his exclusion from the team and how he personally reached out to him with ways that could help him make a comeback. However, Raina’s revelation on the chat spoke of a different tale. Raina stated, “All that MSK Prasad mentioned is not true. We never had a conversation about my exclusion from the team, neither did he approach me on how I could make a comeback.”
A run of poor performances on the domestic circuit hasn’t done any good for Raina who last played at the international level in 2018. And with the BCCI not in favor of releasing domestic players to participate in foreign leagues, the likes of Raina can only rely on domestic competition and make every opportunity count if they ever have a chance to wear the national colors again.