Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Suresh Raina has opened up about legendary cricketer MS Dhoni’s influence on his batting and credited the former captain for his success in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years in his autobiography – ‘Believe: What Life and Cricket Taught Me’.
Raina has a phenomenal record in the IPL and still one of the top run-getters in the world’s biggest T20 league despite skipping the tournament last year. In the IPL 2021, the left-hander has scored 123 runs in 7 games for CSK before the league was suspended last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
The star cricketer has so far played 200 IPL games, scoring 5,491 runs including 1 century and 39 fifties. In his autobiography, Raina credited Dhoni for his success both at international and domestic cricket, saying the captain knows how to get the best performance out of him.
He also opened up about people talking about his equation with MS Dhoni and connect it to his spot in the Indian team and said ‘it hurt him a lot' as he always worked hard to win his spot in Team India.
The CSK star also insisted that he earned Dhoni’s “faith and respect” with his hard work and determination and they trusted each other.
Raina wrote in his autobiography: “Dhoni knew how to get the best performance out of me, and I trusted him. When people equate our connection with a spot for me in the Indian team, it hurts a lot.”
He added, “I’ve always worked hard to win my spot in Team India, just as I’ve earned Dhoni’s faith and respect.”
Raina and Dhoni will be seen playing for the Chennai Super Kings when the IPL 2021 resumes on September 19 in the UAE.
(With Update News 360 Inputs)
