India cricketer Suresh Raina was on point in his reply to a Pakistan journalist who mocked him saying that while Shahid Afridi is an ambassador of T20 World Cup 2024, he is not. But Raina reminded the journo of an old wound from the 2011 World Cup.
This dig from Pakistan came after Suresh Raina had taken Shahid Afridi’s name when asked if he would think about coming out of retirement.
The incident happened during the Qualifier 1 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
While being engaged in his Hindi commentary duties on Jio Cinema, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra asked Raina if he had any plans to revoke his retirement, given he is still just 37 years old.
The ever-witty Raina replied: "Suresh Raina hu, Shahid Afridi nahi" (I am Suresh Raina, not Shahid Afridi),” referencing former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi's multiple retirements. This left the commentary box in splits.
Raina announced his retirement from international cricket alongside MS Dhoni in 2020 and retired from IPL after the 2021 season when CSK won their fourth title. Since retirement, Raina has been active in commentary.
However, Raina referencing Shahid Afridi in his answer led to several Pakistani fans taking to X to show their discontent as they saw it as an insult to their former Pakistan cricket team captain.
Keeping in the same vein, a Pakistan Dawn News journalist Imran Siddique tried to take a dig at Raina and reminded him that Afridi was an ambassador of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
He posted: “ICC has named Shahid Afridi as an ambassador for ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Hello Suresh Raina?”
But Suresh Raina entered his savage mode and opened old wounds of Pakistani fans and reminded the journo of the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali, where India defeated Pakistan. He also said that while he might not be an ambassador of the T20 World Cup, he still has the 2011 World Cup at his home.
“I’m not an ICC ambassador, but I have the 2011 World Cup at my house. Remember the game at Mohali? Hope it brings back some unforgettable memories for you,” Raina quoted the Pak journalist’s post.
