One of the biggest bromances between two players in cricket is that of former Indian captain MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina. Also known as the “Thalla” and “Chinna Thalla”, the two shared a great bond on and off the field as well. Raina’s love for MS is so much that he announced his retirement immediately after his idol did.
Fans were taken aback by his retirement at such a young age. Raina has finally opened up about his decision to end his international career after more than two years of silence. Raina was asked about the reason for his international retirement shortly after Dhoni announced it in an interview with Sports Tak.
“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 come from Ghaziabad and 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.
Suresh Raina announced his retirement immediately after MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former captain of India, shocked the crowd on August 15, 2020, with an unexpected Instagram post announcing his retirement from international cricket. Many people thought the legendary wicketkeeper-batter would return in Indian colours when cricket resumed after the Covid-19 pandemic stopped play, but he did not.
Nobody was expecting what happened roughly 30 minutes after his announcement. Suresh Raina, a key member of the Chennai team at the time, declared his retirement from international cricket. Raina had not been in the scheme of things for the Indian team at the time. His final game for the team was an ODI against England in 2018.
Raina played in his final edition of the Indian T20 League in 2021 before retiring from the league as well. He registered for the mega auction in 2022 but received no bids after keeping his base price at INR 2 crore.
