Emotional Moment For ‘Forever Team India’: Suresh Raina Joins MS Dhoni In Retirement

“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!”

Just like Dhoni, Suresh Raina also announced his retirement on Instagram.

Raina talked about the moments leading up to the announcement 

Raina reiterated he had made up his mind to announce retirement as soon as his compatriot Dhoni does.

"I knew Dhoni would announce his retirement upon reaching Chennai, so I was ready," Raina said.

"I, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar, and Karn Sharma reached Ranchi on 14 August with the chartered plane, and picked up Mahi bhai and Monu Singh."

Just few minutes after MS Dhoni announced his retirement, senior Indian cricketer Suresh Raina also announced retirement from international cricket. Raina also took to social media to announce his retirement like Dhoni. He is currently in Chennai along with Dhoni to participate in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) training camp for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"It was nothing but lovely playing with you. With my heart full of pride, I choose to join you in this journey. Thank you India. Jai Hind," Raina wrote on Instagram where he posted an image of his CSK team members.

View this post on Instagram

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! ????????

A post shared by Suresh Raina (@sureshraina3) on Aug 15, 2020 at 7:36am PDT

Raina hasn't played competitive cricket for a year now. He was ruled out of action after the final of IPL 2019 due to a knee injury. Raina underwent a surgery last year and was confirmed to miss the 2019/20 domestic season. He had joined CSK's training camp in March before it was cancelled. He was one of the first cricketers who resumed the outdoor training a few months back.

Why did the duo retire on August 15? 

While many wondered why the duo took a call on August 15, Raina's explanation gave clarity.

"We had already made up our minds to retire on August 15," he stated.

"Dhoni's jersey number is 7 and mine is 3. Put it together and it makes 73. And on August 15, India completed 73 years of independence, so there couldn't have been a better day."

Training camp: The marquee CSK players have assembled in Chennai 

A number of marquee players from CSK contingent have assembled in Chennai for a short preparatory camp ahead of 2020 IPL.

Previously, the CSK team management received the required permission from the Tamil Nadu state government to host a training camp before leaving for UAE.

Meanwhile, the CSK contingent will likely fly to UAE on August 22.

Dhoni-Raina: The Dhoni-Raina partnership in ODIs 

The dynamic duo of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina shares a lot in common.

Right from winning the 2011 World Cup to retiring on the same day, the duo has seen it all.

However, their emphatic stands in One-Day Internationals during 2000s stood out amongst all.

Batting together, Raina and Dhoni shared 3,585 runs from 73 ODI innings at an incredible average of 56.90.

Let’s throw some light on Raina’s Life:

Suresh Raina plied his trade for India for 13 years. Having made his debut in 2005, he played his last game for India in 2018. During his time in international cricket, he became the first Indian to score a T20I century and, with it, the first from the country to register hundreds in all three formats of international cricket.

Known for his exploits in limited-overs cricket, he also represented India in 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is, scoring 768, 5615 and 1605 runs respectively. The southpaw also has 36 ODI wickets to his name and 13 each in Tests and T20Is. He was a part of the team that won the World Cup in 2011.

Rahul Dravid explained the impact Raina that left behind and recalled how he had a feeling the youngster from Ghaziabad was going to be an important player for India.

This is the video posted by the BCCI

MUST WATCH - As @ImRaina walks into the sunset, here's a heartfelt tribute from the legendary Rahul Dravid, who presented the left-hander with his most prized possessions - the ODI and Test cap.#RainaRetires pic.twitter.com/xqPnmAYatj — BCCI (@BCCI) August 18, 2020

Here is Suresh Raina’s full statement:

In his statement, Suresh Raina spoke about his love for the game, saying that cricket runs through his veins. He thanked his family, his teammates, coaches and fans for their support throughout his career.