On Saturday, Raina's announcement to retire came minutes after MS Dhoni's decision to bid adieu to international cricket.
Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly termed Suresh Raina as "one of the key performers for India in white-ball cricket," after the left-handed batter decided to call time on his international career.
On Saturday, Raina's announcement to retire came minutes after MS Dhoni's decision to bid adieu to international cricket.
"Suresh Raina has been one of the key performers in limited-overs cricket for India. Coming lower down the order and playing some of the match-winning knocks requires a lot of skill and talent," Ganguly said in a release issued by BCCI.
"He along with Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni formed a solid middle order for India in ODIs. I wish him and his family all the very best," he added.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah also congratulated Raina on a remarkable career and labeled the veteran batsman as one of the finest to play the shortest format.
"Suresh Raina has been arguably one of the finest T20 batsmen. A live wire on the field, Raina's prowess as a left-handed batsman was exhibited throughout his cricketing career," Jay Shah said.
"A big match player, Raina's cameo against Australia in the quarterfinal in the 2011 World Cup was a testimony to his glittering career that followed. I wish him all the very best in the second innings of his career," he added.
It was on July 30, 2005, when Raina made his debut for the Men in Blue. He went on to make his debut in an ODI match against Sri Lanka at Dambulla.
In his first ODI, Raina did not have a good outing as he was sent back to the pavilion on a duck. But over the years, the left-handed batsman managed to change his fortunes to become one of the finest white-ball cricketers.
Raina is also the first Indian batsman to register centuries in all three formats of the game. The 33-year-old has played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs, and 78 T20Is for India. Raina also cemented his place as one of the best fielders ever to play the game for India.
In the shortest format of the game, Raina scored 1,605 runs at an average of 29.18. He was also a part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad and the batsman had played crucial knocks in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the tournament.
Raina would now be seen in action for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The tournament is slated to begin on September 19 in the UAE. Dhoni and Raina are popularly known as Thala and China Thala among the fans of the franchise.
Raina is also the second-highest run-getter in the history of the IPL, only behind Virat Kohli.
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 "Suresh Raina, Sourav Ganguly, Sourav Ganguly on Suresh Raina, Raina retires, Raina retirement")
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