ICC U19 World Cup: Suresh Raina in awe of Shubman Gill; lauds team effort

Team India middle-order batsman Suresh Raina, who is returning to the national fold in the three-match Twenty20 series against South Africa after a prolonged gap, has eventually praised India Under-19 opener and exciting talent Shubman Gill for his spectacular run in New Zealand in the ongoing ICC’s U19 World Cup.

Raina took to the Twitter – to celebrate India U19’s remarkable 203-run semi-final win against arch-rivals Pakistan in Christchurch on Tuesday.

Raina cherishes Gill’s temperament:

The Firozpur-born Gill right-handed batsman Gill smashed unbeaten 94-ball 102 to help India U19 post 272 for nine, before sealing the semi-final clash by whopping 203 runs.

“Top knock Shubman Gill great batting brother loved the temperament of yours!!,” animated Raina tweeted with the hashtag of Under19 World Cup and India-Pakistan U19 while tagging the official handle of world body International Cricket Council (ICC).

Gill, who has been in red-hot form during the ongoing youth competition struck seven boundaries as he went on to score at the strike-rate of 108.51.

The short-paced competition on the South African soil will be kicking off on February 18 at New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg and will culminate with the final T20 fixture at Newlands in Cape Town on February 24.

Raina had hailed the team for the all-round performances while congratulating the youngsters for making it to the final of the Youth ODI World Cup.

“Far superior performance than any side in the tournament. Congrats #TeamIndia,” Raina maintained in his second tweet.

Glory a step away from India U-19:

The prominent face of Team India, Raina believes such opportunities won’t knock the door every time, but simultaneously urged the team to deliver in the final against Australia U-19 on February 3.

“Just one step away from a huge milestone. The opportunity to play in a world cup final does not come every day. So, make the most of it,” Raina wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

Pertinently, India U19 has become the first team to qualify for the sixth final of the ongoing U19 World Cup as it is an overall 12^th edition in progress.

International outing for Raina while donning national jersey:

Raina made his international debut against Sri Lanka in July, 2005 at Dambulla which further saw him playing 223 One-day Internationals, 65 T20Is and 18 Tests.

Moreover, in 192 ODI innings, Raina scored 5,568 runs at an average of 35.46. He smashed five-hundred and 36 fifties.

Interestingly, Raina has smashed a ton and four fifties in 55 T20Is innings.

On the personal front, the 31-year-old Uttar Pradesh-based left-handed batsman has been struggling with the fitness and the dip in form which further saw him returning following the hard work.

Known for his all-round abilities, Raina has further delivered for India and he previously featured in the international game against England at Bengaluru in February 2017.

Returning after little over one-year, Raina has been trained hard in the nets and his primary focus has been fitness in order to leave an impact.

Here are the tweets from Suresh Raina after India U19 crush Pakistan U-19:

The tweet garnered regarding India U-19 resolute performance saw 14,935 likes and 1,153 retweets with 156 comments, as the tweet regarding Gill’s heroics with the willow witnessed 8,076 likes and 744 retweets while filing this copy.

Far superior performance than any side in the tournament. Congrats #<!---->T<!---->e<!---->a<!---->m<!---->I<!---->n<!---->d<!---->i<!---->a. Just one step away from a huge milestone. The opportunity to play in a world cup final does not come everyday.. so, make the most of it. #<!---->I<!---->N<!---->D<!---->v<!---->P<!---->A<!---->K p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->S<!---->0<!---->n<!---->l<!---->U<!---->X<!---->x<!---->u<!---->c<!---->8

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Top knock #<!---->S<!---->h<!---->u<!---->b<!---->m<!---->a<!---->n<!---->G<!---->i<!---->l<!---->l great batting brother ????loved the temperament of yours !! #<!---->u<!---->n<!---->d<!---->e<!---->r<!---->1<!---->9<!---->w<!---->o<!---->r<!---->l<!---->d<!---->c<!---->u<!---->p #<!---->i<!---->n<!---->d<!---->p<!---->a<!---->k<!---->1<!---->9 @<!---->I<!---->C<!---->C p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->c<!---->T<!---->x<!---->x<!---->o<!---->Z<!---->Q<!---->N<!---->A<!---->s

— Suresh Raina?? (@ImRaina) J<!---->a<!---->n<!---->u<!---->a<!---->r<!---->y<!----> <!---->3<!---->0<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->1<!---->8

Follow 2018 U19 ICC World Cup news here: India U19 vs Australia U-19, final