‘I played for Dhoni, then I played for India’: 2011 World Cup star’s stunning remark goes viral

Former India captain MS Dhoni left everyone stunned when he announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020 and nearly half an hour after Dhoni’s announcement another India star Suresh Raina also announced his retirement to leave fans completely surprised.

It has been over two years since Raina retired from international cricket and now the former left-handed batter has finally opened up about his decision to hang his boots at a relatively young age.

During an interview with Sports Tak, Raina said, “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.”

After retiring from international cricket, Raina played in IPL 2021 but he then decided to retire from IPL too. Raina listed himself in the IPL mega auction in 2022 at a base price of Rs 2 crore but he was not picked up by any team.

Raina performed well for India in 2011 World Cup and made some significant contributions in the team’s victory. Raina, who also played for Chennai Super Kings in IPL, represented India in 18 Tests, 226 ODIs, and 78 T20Is.