British media bowled over by Raina's brilliance

London, Apr 1 (UNI) Hailing him as a worthy successor to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, the British media said Suresh Raina's individual brilliance was the only reason India managed to clinch the second ODI against England.

''They (England) were denied by Suresh Raina, who at 19 is more than a year younger than anyone in the England team and is a cricketer of such frightening potential that a nation's collective frown about life after Sachin Tendulkar might even begin to ease,'' opined the Guardian.

The Independent went a step further and said the match unearthed a new ''little master'' in the form of Raina. The newspaper said with Tendulkar's best days probably over, Raina is ready to take over the mantle after showing remarkable maturity in his 81-run innings, which ensured India's victory in the match.

''They (India) may well have found their man,'' the daily said.

The Times said Andrew Flintoff's side was undone by the ''brilliance of youth'' and comparing Raina with Aussie Michael Bevan, the newspaper said he did a brilliant job to ''avoid every trap that Flintoff could spring.'' ''Suresh Raina produced an innings encompassing all the attributes of a star in the making. He showed the judgment of Michael Bevan but with dash besides,'' said the daily.

However, Raina's excellence could not hide the chaos and mismanagement at the Nahar Singh Stadium in Faridabad, where the police lathicharged fans injuring a nine-year-old girl and her mother, and there was a word of advice for the BCCI from the guardian.

''They should check the local methods of imposing law and order before staging games outside major cities.'' UNI XC PM SP1313