On Tuesday, Former Indian and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Suresh Raina has given an ample example of his wit during Qualifier 1 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Ahmedabad.
Aakash Chopra a former Indian opener who was involved in Hindi commentary on Jio Cinema, asked Raina if he still plans to reverse his retirement because he is just 37.
Raina mischievously replied, “I am Suresh Raina, not Shahid Afridi” referring to the multiple retirements of former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi. This statement left the commentators laughing uncontrollably.
In 2020, Raina retired from international cricket alongside MS Dhoni and IPL after the 2021 season where CSK won their fourth title. Since then he has been active as a commentator.
Days earlier, Raina shared a moment with one-time India teammate Virat Kohli during an interaction on JioCinema at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium prior to an IPL 2024 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and CSK. It also took him back to the time when the two cricketers first played together for India during the 2008 Emerging Players Tournament in Australia.
At first coach Pravin Amre did not include Kohli in playing XI; Raina recommended him after seeing his potentiality in nets.
According to Kohli: “Raina saw me playing in the nets and asked Amre sir why I wasn’t playing. That convinced Dilip Vengsarkar sir possibly I scored 120 not out against New Zealand so that now I could be given further opportunities”. He accepted Raina’s contribution towards his early career by saying these words.
