Raina and Dhoni both retired from international cricket on August 15.
Former India batsman Suresh Raina is looking forward to playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2020. He has received a lot of support from Chennai and the southpaw is grateful for it.
Raina also talked about the wonderful memories Chennai fans gave him and MS Dhoni which he is going to cherish for the rest of his life. While Raina is called 'Chinna Thala', the CSK fans call Dhoni 'Thala' out of love.
"It's pure love and pure blessing. It's something you cherish for the rest of your life. 'Thala' and 'Chinna Thala', it's something like Jai and Veeru from Sholay," he told Harsha Bhogle for Cricbuzz.
"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."ALSO
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Raina and Dhoni are set to feature in IPL 2020 and they have also started practicing for the same in Chennai. The duo had surprised their fans on Independence day by announcing retirement from international cricket together.
Recalling how Dhoni moved on from World Cup 2007 defeat, Raina tried to show the tough character of his former India teammate.
"He reads the game really well. We have seen over the years how he led the team over the years and got tougher with each and every tour.
"I would say he really learnt a lot from the 2007 World Cup loss. You can win a lot of matches, when you lose, you can learn a lot. That shows how serious a captain he is, a tough person he is. That 2007 World Cup really changed him as a person."
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)