Suresh Raina followed MS Dhoni into international retirement on August 15. The left-hander’s decision to announce his international retirement just moments after Dhoni shocked the cricket fraternity. Both Raina and Dhoni had been part of the team India set-up since 2005 and also play the Indian Premier League (IPL) together for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Both will once again be seen in IPL 2020, which begins on September 19 in UAE. 'Incredible Dhoni, Amazing Raina' Sudarsan Pattnaik Pays Tribute to MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina With his Sand Art (View Post).

Raina, in a recent conversation with broadcaster Harsha Bhogle for Cricbuzz, talked about his friendship with Dhoni and how CSK helped him grow as a player. “I like the set up (of CSK), they are very professional as they take care of players so well,” Raina said during the conversation. MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina Announce Retirement From International Cricket: 144 vs England and Other Match-Winning Partnerships by the Legendary Duo.

He was also asked on the acceptance he and Dhoni got in Chennai despite coming from two different regions of the country. Raina hails from Uttar Pradesh and Dhoni from Jharkhand. Both have been part of the CSK set-up since the inaugural season and are loved by the CSK fans, who lovingly call them ‘Thala’ and ‘Chinna Thala’.

“It’s pure love and blessing. It’s like being Jai and Viru from Sholay. They really enjoy our game and love us,” said the left-handed batsman talking of the love he and Dhoni continue to get from the CSK fans. Raina also added that he will always be indebted to the CSK fans for their love and support and for accepting him into their culture.

“When we go down South, we have a lot of responsibility but they enjoy our cricket. It’s only because of the fans. They treat us really well, they give us a lot of freedom to express ourselves,” he added.

Suresh Raina Talks about MS Dhoni and Their Friendship

Raina also thanked Dhoni for standing by him during difficult times. “Dhoni and I have been together since our early days camps in 2003-2004. We used to have camps in Bangalore and we know each other well. I really felt he is the guy who can change the game around and the personality. He helped me, supported my family during tough times,” he said.  “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.”

Dhoni and Raina have already joined the CSK squad for the debriefing in Chennai and will soon be travelling to UAE for their preseason camp in Dubai. The pair will hope to guide CSK to a record fourth IPL title when T20 franchise tournament begins from September 19.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2020 05:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).