The veteran Suresh Raina is gearing up for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Raina who missed IPL 2020 will be making his return to competitive cricket after a long wait. The former India player is excited to play for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that kicks off from January 10.
The Uttar Pradesh team is a part of the Elite Group A in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and will be led by India U-19 skipper Priyam Garg. Talking about Raina, in the last few months he has been working extremely hard on his fitness and his keen to perform in SMAT. Raina often posts his workout videos and batting sessions on social media and gives a glimpse of his routine to all his devotees.
Suresh Raina practices slip catching ahead of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Now with SMAT just a few days away Raina has begun the real grind as he shared the video from his practice session. The 34-year-old has seen practising slip catching where he once again looked agile and match ready. Raina indicated that he might stand at first slip against first bowlers of Uttar Pradesh in the domestic T20 tournament.
“Couldn’t ask for a much better weather to be on the field post quarantine. All set to play for the tournament”, Suresh Raina wrote in the caption.
Couldn't ask for a much better weather to be on the field post quarantine ☁️
All set to play for the tournament #SyedMushtaqAliTrophy 🏏 #LetsBegin pic.twitter.com/1oQ9cQrIfC— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) January 8, 2021
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Meanwhile, the UP side will be without their star pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar who still hasn’t recovered from his injury. Raina will be hoping to make an impact in the tournament before the next IPL 2020 where he will be representing Chennai Super Kings.
Here is the complete Uttar Pradesh side for Upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:
Priyam Garg (captain), Karn Sharma (vice-captain), Suresh Raina, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Aryan Juyal (wicketkeeper), Ankit Rajpoot, Mohsin Khan, Shivam Mavi, Shiva Singh, Shanu Saini, Rinku Singh, Madhav Kaushik, Samarth Singh, Shubham Choubey
Furthermore, the domestic T20 tournament was originally scheduled to start in November but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be played across six states from January 10 to January 31
Also Read: Suresh Raina Recalls What Sachin Tendulkar Said After His 100th International Century
