Suresh Raina, who last played for India against England in 2018, had earlier said that he was eyeing a comeback into the national team’s scheme of things.
Suresh Raina (L) with CSK skipper MS Dhoni. (AFP PHOTO / NOAH SEELAM)
Veteran middle-order batsman Suresh Raina, who has played most of his international matches and IPL matches under Mahendra Sindh Dhoni, said that he is the best captain that the Indian men’s cricket team ever had.
“I think we have the best captain who has changed the Indian team like anything. Now we have that same aura in our dressing room,” Raina was quoted as saying by IANS via Star Sports Tamil.
Speaking about the likes of Piyush Chawla, Joh Hazlewood and Sam Curran, whom CSK acquired in the auction held in December, Raina said, “This year we have a lot of new talent in our team. Piyush is there, then we have Hazelwood, Sam Curran, Sai Kishore from Tamil Nadu, he has been bowling really well for them. So, I think we have a lot of mixture of youngsters and seniors.”
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Raina, who last played for India against England in 2018, had earlier said that he was eyeing a comeback into the national team’s scheme of things with two T20 World Cups coming up in the successive years of 2020 and 2021.
“I can be the No 4 for India. I have batted in that slot before and delivered. I am looking forward to an opportunity with two T20 World Cups coming up,” the 32-year-old was quoted as saying by IANS via The Hindu.
Dhoni, on the other hand, will be making his comeback into professional cricket after last playing in India’s World Cup semi-final defeat against New Zealand in England last year. He is all set to lead the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 13th edition of the IPL.
Speculations about his retirement went wild after his two-month sabbatical was over, as many suggested he might not make a comeback to the national team again while some remained optimistic for a Dhoni-show again.
However, during an event in Mumbai in December last year, Dhoni was seen skipping questions on his comeback and said, “Don’t ask me till January.”
A PTI report, meanwhile, has suggested that the cricketer will take a call on his future after the 2021 edition of IPL. The cricketer also attended a few training sessions with the Jharkhand team in the month of January.
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