Raina is essential man for indian team

You often see him run up to a fielder or a bowler to pat his back for a good effort. Even when the chips are down, he is seen trying to lift the spirits of his team mates. He is also a gamechanger. He can turn a match around with a brilliant run out, a superlative catch or a swashbuckling knock. He can clobber the ball out of sight when in full flow ­ the smaller the format of the game, the more dangerous he is with the bat.

Raina has been maligned for his inability to flourish in the longer format of the game. But then, he is the only Indian player with centuries in international cricket in all three formats.

There is little doubt that there are technical flaws in Raina's batting: he has a problem with short-pitched deliveries. However, despite his limitations, he never loses confidence in his ability, and that has made him the trusted lieutenant of skipper MS Dhoni, who will once again bank on Raina to deliver in the World Cup.

The high point in Raina's career came during the 2011 World Cup. He was benched in the initial stage as Dhoni relied on in-form Yusuf Pathan to bat at No 6 and bowl a few overs of off spin, a role which Raina also performs. Raina got his chance in the group game against West Indies, coming in place of an injured Virender Sehwag. Dhoni made a strategic change against defending champions Australia in the quarterfinals, swapping Yusuf with Raina. The elegant left-hander responded by assisting Yuvraj Singh in a successful run-chase in a high pressure game, making 34 from 28 balls to carry India to victory.

In the semifinals against Pakistan, he batted with the tailenders to score an unbeaten 36, a significant contribution to India's final tally of 260. Raina's effort in the quarterfinals and the semifinals helped India make it to the World Cup final and finally win the title. Gary Kirsten, the then India coach, praised Raina's effort by saying: "Raina won the World Cup for us with some crucial knocks and lifted the spirit of the team during the knockout stage."

The Indian think-tank is expecting Raina to play a similar role this time as well. He is more of a bits-and-pieces player, but very effective. Dhoni knows how crucial he is to India's cause and is always willing to back him, despite his flaws and the impish desire to go for his strokes right from the beginning. When it does not come off, India often tend to slip. But on his day, he can create magic.

Raina always desired to play top-grade cricket and that's the reason he left Muradnagar ­ a small town near Ghaziabad (UP) where his father Trilok Chand worked in an ordnance factory ­ and joined the government-run Sports College in Lucknow as a cricket trainee.

As luck would have it, he found two ideal coaches in Krishnan and Deepak Sharma, who guided him in his early phase. Raina was a quick learner and someone who was always willing to work hard. He had the example of Mohammed Kaif ­ who blossomed at the Sports Hostel in Green Park (Kanpur) ­ in front of him. Kaif's entry into the Indian team motivated Raina to follow in his footsteps.

It did not take Raina long to climb the ladder of success. He became the captain of the Uttar Pradesh U-16 and caught the eye of India selectors in 2002, when he was selected at the age of 15 and a half years for the U-19 tour to England, where he made a couple of half-centuries in Test matches.