No, you should use
sudo sh -c "cat foobar.img > /dev/sdi"
or sudo -s "cat foobar.img > /dev/sdi" sudo sh -c "cat foobar.img > /dev/sdi"
or sudo -s "cat foobar.img > /dev/sdi" sudo sh <<EOF
cat foobar.img > /dev/sdi
EOF