Watch : Suresh Raina take a blinder at mid-wicket to dismiss Kusal Perera

Published - 13 Mar 2018, 09:15 PM | Updated - 22 Aug 2024, 11:50 PM

Suresh Raina. (Pic: Twitter)

If the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif revolutionized Indian fielding, it is the likes of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni who have carried on the baton of electric fielding in Indian cricket.

Raina, on his comeback trail, impressed one and all with his a shot-a-ball approach in T20I cricket. However, it was also his gun fielding in the deep as well as inside the 30-yard ring, which the Indian team missed the most.

In the fourth T20I of the ongoing Nidahas Trophy between India and Sri Lanka, Raina changed the complexion of the game with a single act of brilliance while taking the field.

The Sri Lankans, in the current tournament, brought back time by playing fearless cricket during the field restrictions. This was by adopting the pattern set by the great Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, who changed the way white-ball cricket was played back in the 1996 World Cup.

Kusal Perera is hailed as the modern Jayasuriya amazed the spectators of the game with some of his jaw-dropping hits. The left-hander paved the way for the trademark Sri Lankan brand of cricket this tournament.

Kusal Perera has had a bit of a stop-start career due to injury. He announced his international comeback with explosive knock played during the Indore T20I last winter.

The swashbuckling batsman continued his explosive style this series with his knocks against Bangladesh and India. The southpaw was underway to repeat his escapades against India, the second time around. But, Raina decided to curtail his knock short.

A short delivery from Shardul Thakur meant that the ball had to be dispatched towards midwicket for a four or a six. But one man named Suresh Raina was placed at midwicket who had other ideas.

The CSK stalwart lunged to his left to cover a substantial amount of ground. Then, he leapt parallel to the ground to reach for the catch. Raina’s catch shocked one, and Raina’s blinder shortened all at Premadasa as Perera’s brilliance.