Former Indian batting star Suresh Raina turns 34 on Friday (November 27) and birthday greetings are pouring in for him from all around the world. Born in 1986, the southpaw is a sweet timer of the ball who scored runs in the crunchiest of situations. Although his technique was never regarded as impeccable, his ability to keep calm under pressure helped him deliver more often than not. Be it rescuing the team after a top-order collapse or scoring quick runs in the end overs, the left-handed batsman rose to several challenges, emerging as one of India's finest finishers ever. Suresh Raina Congratulates MS Dhoni for Becoming First Cricketer to Make 200 IPL Appearances.

Making his debut in July 2005, Raina – the then 18-years-old – had the onus to cement his place in the mighty Indian batting line-up. Although he did play some impressive knocks in his early days, the dasher cemented his spot in the national team only after the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid went away from the scene. Raina was indeed a captain's delight in limited-overs cricket as along with making an impact with the bat, he was a live wire on the field, and his ability to chip in with handy overs made him even more lethal. As the Indian batting stalwart celebrates his special day, let's revisit some of his best knocks in international cricket. CSK Star Suresh Raina Expresses Love for Wife Priyanka Chaudhary in Latest Twitter Post.

101 Against South Africa in 2010

India got their first centurion in T20Is demurring their group-stage clash against South in the 2010 T20 World Cup. Batting first in Gros Islet, Raina came into bat after opener Murali Vijay bagged a golden duck. Despite the early blow, Raina attacked the bowlers from the outset as the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were smashed all over the park. He went to score a brilliant century, helping India post 186 runs. His efforts proved to be fruitful as Men in Blue won the match by 14 runs.

65* Against Sri Lanka in 2012

Raina was at the top of his A-game during the third ODI of India's 2012 Tour of Sri Lanka. Chasing a total of 288 in Colombo, the visitors were reduced to 196/5 with Raina and Irfan Pathan on the crease. The run-rate was continually increasing, and only tail-enders were to follow. However, Raina a calculated innings, bringing the visitors back into the match. The dasher rotated the strike well and also found the boundaries on occasions. His knock of 65 off 45 proved to be fruitful as India won the match by five wickets.

100* Against England in 2014

Another Suresh Raina special came in the second ODI of India's 2014 Tour of England. Coming to bat at number five in Cardiff, the left-handed batsman went after the bowlers from the word go. The challenging English conditions didn't bother him must as India's scoring rate was increasing rapidly. Raina went on to register a ton of mere 74 deliveries, which powered the visitors to 288 in the first innings. In reply, the hosts never looked in the battle and eventually lost the match by 133 runs.

104* Against Zimbabwe in 2015

India's winning streak in the 2015 World Cup was on the verge of getting ended, but Raina came to the party. Chasing 288 for victory in Auckland, the Men in Blue were tottering at 4/92 with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli back in the hut. Hence, all responsibilities were on the southpaw and skipper MS Dhoni. The duo rose to the occasion didn't just build a substantial partnership but also kept the required run-rate in control. During the process, Raina completed his fifth ODI ton with nine boundaries and four maximums. His innings proved vital as the Men in Blue won the match by six wickets.

Raina surprisingly bid farewell to international cricket on Independence Day (August 15) 2020 minutes after MS Dhoni announced his retirement. He was all set to take the field in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) jersey in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 but pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons. With being just 34, many fans and experts have backed Raina to break his retirement but only time will tell if fans will see the swashbuckling batsman in the national jersey or not.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 27, 2020 07:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).