Happy Birthday Suresh Raina: Let's flip through his record book

Suresh Raina was one of the most prolific middle-order batsmen for India and has been an integral part of the success for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). As he turns 34, let us take a look at the records he holds in professional cricket.

Former Indian middle-order batsman Suresh Raina is one of the most prolific batsmen to be ever produced by India. He has been a part of numerous success for Team India, as well as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Although the batsman form Uttar Pradesh might have called time on his international career, he still has some cricket left in him, as he is likely to do so in the IPL for a few more years. Meanwhile, he is celebrating his 34th birthday on Friday, as on his auspicious day, we travel back in time to revisit some of the exciting records he holds in professional cricket.

T20I ton: In case one remembers, it was during the 2010 ICC World T20 in the Windies when Raina had scored 101 against South Africa. While it was his maiden ton in the format, he also became the first Indian to do the same. To date, he has a couple of T20I centuries, while he remains the only Indian to slam a ton in the WT20.

A first across formats: Besides scoring twin centuries in the T20Is, Raina also has a number of tons in the other two forms of the game. What's even enjoyable that he was the first Indian to hit a century across formats. Apart from him, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are the two other men to do so.

Consecutive IPL matches for CSK: In a unique record, Raina played all the matches in the IPL for CSK, from 2008 to 2018. After he missed out on a game during the 2018 season, it brought a halt to his 158-game streak. It looks like a record that won't be broken anytime soon.

A first in IPL: In another first for Raina, he became the first batsman to enter the 5,000-run club in the IPL. It was during the 2019 season when he attained the feat, followed by Virat Kohli a few weeks later. Later, David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, too, joined the elite list.

The safest hands: Besides his batting, Raina was also well-known for his adequate fielding efforts. Consequently, he holds the record of having claimed the most number of catches in the IPL. To date, he has 193 catches to his name.