Suresh Raina, one of the most instrumental cricketers for Team India during his time at the international level, developed a great friendship with the former Indian captain MS Dhoni. The 36-year-old continues to share a great bond with the legend, after taking the field alongside him for India and Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Raina and Dhoni were two of the most successful cricketers in Indian history, securing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2011 at home and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 in England. In the franchise cricket, they won four IPL trophies together for Chennai Super Kings, becoming the heart and soul of the team.
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These two household cricketers also showcased their feelings of mutual admiration for each other, on and off the cricket field. Suresh Raina took his love for MS Dhoni to a whole new level, doing acts which could be considered too good to be true by many.
With that, SportsTiger looks at five times when Suresh Raina showed his love for MS Dhoni.
1. Suresh Raina wore MS Dhoni’s Test jersey after his surprise retirement in Melbourne
On December 30, 2014, MS Dhoni made a surprise announcement of retiring from Test cricket, at the conclusion of the match between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. It led to the legend giving away his Test jersey to Suresh Raina, with the number 251 imprinted on it, to thank him for standing by his side throughout his long format career.
Then, in the next Test, beginning on January 6, 2015, the left-handed batter wore the jersey of MS Dhoni to showcase his love for the great man. This match ended up becoming the last one for Suresh Raina in his Test career, wherein he got out for a duck in both innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney.
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2. Suresh Raina thanked MS Dhoni for getting him through tough phase in 2007
The Muradnagar-born cricketer, who became the first Indian to score centuries in all formats of the game, didn’t have it easy during the initial stages of his international career. When Suresh Raina was 21 years of age, he underwent an operation, and MS Dhoni was by his side during his recovery phase, guiding him through the trials and tribulations of the entire ordeal.
Raina went on to talk about that phase later on, thanking Dhoni for his help in getting him through the tough times. He was quoted as saying, “He helped me during a tough time in 2007 when I had an operation. The one and half year made me a tougher man and Dhoni guided me during that period as well.”
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3. Suresh Raina remarked that MS Dhoni was the toughest bowler to face in the nets
While giving an interview to JioCinema for Home of Heroes TV show earlier this year, Suresh Raina made a startling remark that MS Dhoni was the toughest bowler to face in the nets, probably out of love for him, more than anything else. He also revealed that the former Indian captain would keep gesturing and reminding for months about how he got him or anyone else out, in the nets.
Raina spoke on the JioCinema show, “I think Muralitharan and Malinga (are the toughest to face during matches), but in the nets, it was MS Dhoni. If he got you out in the nets, then you’d not be able to sit with him for one and a half months because he’d keep gesturing and remind how he got you out.” The 36-year-old also said, “He’d bowl off-spin, medium pace, leg spin, everything. In the nets, he would even justify his front foot no-balls (laughs).”
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4. Suresh Raina said that he and MS Dhoni are like Jai and Viru from Sholay
Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni have been the marquee faces of the Chennai Super Kings and the Indian Premier League, since the tournament began in the summer of 2008. The fans in Chennai gave Raina the moniker of “Chinna Thala,” while calling Dhoni “Thala,” for playing an entertaining brand of cricket and bringing the coveted trophy to the city multiple times throughout their illustrious careers.
While appreciating the CSK fans for their continuous support to the franchise, the former Indian cricketer talked about how he will cherish the monikers given to him and the legend. He was quoted as saying, “It’s pure love and blessing. It’s like being Jai and Viru from Sholay. They really enjoy our game and love us.”
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5. Suresh Raina announced his international retirement minutes after MS Dhoni did the same
When MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020, little did anyone knew that Suresh Raina would do the same, minutes later. The shocking decision from the left-handed batter was out of pure love for his best friend, who he adored beyond our comprehension.
He sent out a tweet on his official Instagram account on that day, which read, “It was nothing but lovely playing with you, @mahi7781 . With my heart full of pride, I choose to join you in this journey. Thank you India. Jai Hind!” Then, a couple of years later, on September 6, 2022, after competing alongside MS Dhoni for the final time in the IPL for CSK in 2021, he made an announcement about retiring from all formats of cricket, to end his professional career on a high.
