Former India cricketer Suresh Raina opened up on the reason behind his call to quit international cricket on the same day as legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni.
The duo shares a close bond after playing together for India and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for many years. Dhoni posted his retirement message on August 15, 2020 at 7:29 PM IST, while Raina announced his decision to hang boots moments later.
In an interaction with Aakash Chopra, Raina revealed that Dhoni was taken aback by his move after he informed him that he would retire on the same day.
"It's the game, right? You live for it as a player. You do so much for the country, parents sacrificed so much, but at that moment I felt this is the best. Because all these things happen... you wanted to spend time with your family. At that point, whether I was 32 or 33, whatever the age was... But in the dressing room when he did it, I went in and said 'It's done.' He goes 'Ye Kya Kiya Tune' (What did you just do?)," said Raina.
At the time of the announcement, both Dhoni and Raina were in the CSK bio-bubble ahead of the IPL 2020, which was held in the UAE between September and November that year due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Raina highlighted the selfless nature of Dhoni, revealing that the latter sacrificed his batting position so that he could thrive in the middle order.
"I think at that time you played for the captain, you played for the team. But why I said captain... because I feel that at the batting position I got an opportunity; the captain sacrificed his own position. He used to bat higher up when Dada was captain, but he took the responsibility, saying, 'Yuvi Pa (Yuvraj Singh), you go up, Suresh, you play here, I am sitting here.'
Raina explained that when a leader shows more faith in a player's skills than their own, it acts as an immense motivator. This profound belief inspired him to play with his "whole heart"—pouring energy not just into his batting, but also into exceptional fielding and utility bowling.
"So I thought if this guy is showing more belief in my abilities than his own, then I have to perform for him. We are all part of the team. I said I will play with all my heart-whether it's fielding or bowling. That's why I think when you reach such a stage, you don't think with your brain anymore; you become emotional, you think with your heart. Where the heart gets attached, after that, whether it's friendship... it's the same thing, you play for thousands of years, you enjoy things a lot," Raina stated.
"You know how he is as a person. But I think if someone sacrificed so much for you, then you have that... there should be a capacity to give back. Because everyone has money, but you need a big heart to spend it. So we had that heart for friendship, and it will always remain," he remarked.
