Former Indian cricketer and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star batsman Suresh Raina has been criticized on social media for conflating Chennai culture with the Brahmin caste while doing commentary during the opening game of the fifth season of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL 2021).

During the TNPL 2021 opener game between Lyca Kovai Kings and Salem Spartans in Chennai, Raina was invited to join the commentary, where he had mentioned his Brahmin caste in reply to being asked the reason how he blends into the Chennai culture. 

The 34-year-old has been seen wearing a veshti, dancing, and whistling — CSK’s catchphrase is “whistle podu” (blow the whistle) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), leading to a question about his relationship with the culture in Chennai during the TNPL 2021 game recently.

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Following his comments, Raina has been criticized for displaying caste pride being a member of a dominant caste while conflating Chennai culture with the Brahmin caste.

In the viral video, Raina heard saying: “I think, I am also Brahmin. I have been playing since 2004 in Chennai, I love the culture… I love my teammates. I have played with Anirudha Srikanth, Badri (Subramaniam Badrinath), Bala Bhai (L Balaji)… I think you need to learn something good from there. We have a good administration, we have the license to explore ourselves. I love the culture there, and I’m lucky to be part of CSK. Hopefully, we will play more matches there.”

Check out here how fans reacted to his latest Brahmin remark –