‘I played for MS Dhoni, then I played for my country’: Suresh Raina’s incredible remark on retiring right after MSD
On the evening of August 15, 2020, former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni left the fans stunned with a sudden Instagram post, confirming his retirement from international cricket.
It isn’t as if there weren’t speculations over Dhoni calling time on his India career; however, with cricketing action coming to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many believed the legendary wicketkeeper-batter might return in Indian colours when cricket resumes.
If Dhoni’s retirement was a shock to the fans, what came roughly 30 minutes after his announcement was something no one had prepared for. Suresh Raina, who was 33 at the time and had been an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings squad, also announced his retirement from international cricket. Raina had been out-of-favour with the Indian team at the time, with his last appearance for the side coming in 2018 during an ODI against England.
His retirement at a relatively young age left the fans stunned. It has been over two years since the duo retired, and Raina has finally opened up on the decision to call time on his international career. During an interview with Sports Tak, Raina was asked about the reason behind his international retirement right after Dhoni’s announcement for the same.
“We played so many matches together. I was fortunate to play with him for India, and with CSK. We got a lot of love. I’ve come from Ghaziabad, Dhoni from Ranchi. I played for MS Dhoni, then I played for the country. That’s the connection. We’ve played so many finals, we won the World Cup. He’s a great leader and a great human being,” Raina said as he explained the decision.
In 2021, Raina played in his last edition of the Indian Premier League before eventually retiring from the league as well. He had registered himself in the IPL mega auction in 2022, but found no takers after keeping his base price at INR 2 crore.
Raina played a key role in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, making important contributions in the lower-middle order for the side The star left-handed batter represented the side in 18 Tests, 226 ODIs, and 78 T20Is in an international career that lasted 13 years.