Mumbai: Middle-order batsman Suresh Raina’s resurgence in the ODI squad will be duly noted in the series against New Zealand, with the 15 combats appointment by the new BCCI selection committee chaired by MSK Prasad, in Mumbai on Thursday.
Raina last played an ODI match in October 2015, against South Africa in Mumbai, scoring 12.
The fifteen man team is brought forth for the three ODI matches, the first one to be played in Dharamsala on October 16. It’s is to be led by ace player Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The selectors have shown immense faith in the youths of the team, as they took on Zimbabwe earlier this year.
Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami have been given the permission to rest, so as to cannonball in the long home season ahead.
Raina was also not seen during the tour of Australia in December-January, the tour of Zimbabwe in June and the T20I squad for the two matches against West Indies in the USA in August.
He has played a tally of 223 ODIs, scoring 5568 runs (which includes five centuries and 36 fifties). He has also taken 36 wickets with his part-time off-spins.
Veteran spinner Amit Mishra makes a comeback in the ODI fold and will be accompanied by Axar Patel to take care of the spins.
India would now like to regain its lost status at home, as South Africa bagged in a 3-2 win in the ODIs last year in October.
ODI squad:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Umesh Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav