Suresh Raina discusses the relationship he shares with a former India captain. Suresh Raina, an ex-Indian batter, recently revealed in an interview that he played for MS Dhoni before he played for India. The southpaw was an integral member of the 2011 ICC World Cup winning side headed by Dhoni and the 2013 Champions Trophy winning team. And while playing for Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings, he picked up four IPL titles.
“We played so many matches together,” Raina said. I am lucky to have played beside him for India and CSK. A lot of people showed their support for us. Dhoni is from Ranchi, and I’ve travelled from Ghaziabad. First, I was MS Dhoni’s player, and then I was the country. We’ve been to so many championship games that we took home the World Cup. His leadership and character are second to none, and he is a model human being.
After Dhoni, Raina too retired from international cricket on that same day. A fearless left-hander, he has amassed 7988 runs for his country in 322 matches, averaging 32.87. Raina stated earlier this week, “I have played practice matches (before Tests), and they are incredibly crucial.” The Border Gavaskar Trophy will be played later this month. Only through playing on them (Indian pitches) can Australia (cricketers) learn to appreciate their quality.
Raina thinks India will do well in the four-Test series and thinks the return of Ravindra Jadeja would help the team’s overall balance. He finally made a comeback, and everyone was delighted about it.
R Ashwin and Axar Patel are two of our spinners performing admirably. The recent form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma gives me hope that this series will be exciting to watch. Raina would prefer a track that would hold on for five days, even though visiting teams are always welcomed on rank turners during Test matches in the subcontinent.
