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Suresh Raina Backs Virat Kohli To Shine In ODIs Against England & Champions Trophy
By CricShots - Feb 4, 2025 5:31 pm
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Suresh Raina, a former teammate of Virat Kohli in the Indian cricket team, is confident the Indian batting star will regain his form going into the five-match ODI series against England and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Raina believes that Kohli has mastered the art of adjusting his tempo in white-ball cricket and may see past performances against England fuel his show.

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli 

Kohli had a tough 2024 in international cricket, giving glimpses of brilliance but lacking consistency. He played a match-winning half-century in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup and scored a century in the first Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Apart from these innings, bowlers consistently exploited his weaknesses, making it a frustrating year by his high standards.

It is ODIs now that could change the course. Kohli has a fantastic record in the 50-over format, and ODI wickets are usually flat and batting-friendly, which means he will look to score heavily. His statistics against England have been outstanding; 1,340 runs in 36 games at an average of 41.87 has made him India’s top run-getter against them among the active players.

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“Virat indeed knows when to turn the switch on and off in white-ball cricket. He has got the maximum runs against England, and that alone will boost up his energy. The three ODIs are at Nagpur, Ahmedabad, and Cuttack—third is a very high-scoring ground,” said Suresh Raina while speaking to Star Sports.

Suresh Raina
Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina

Other than Kohli, there are more crucial decisions to be taken by the Indian team management, mainly on their spin combination. While Ravindra Jadeja would definitely be in the XI, Raina spoke of Rohit Sharma’s selection of other spinners being a critical decision.

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“Jadeja will surely play because of his success in ODIs. Kuldeep Yadav, who is returning from injury, hasn’t played much, but Axar Patel has been consistent. The conditions in Dubai will help seamers early on, but spinners will also have a role to play. That’s why Kuldeep, Axar, and Jadeja need to be at their best. Rohit’s team selection will be crucial,” Suresh Raina added.

To that, in a surprise move, the Indian team also confirmed the addition of form spinner Varun Chakaravarthy into the 15-member squad and bolstered the spin options in the series much anticipated.