21 July,2021 02:03 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni during IPL 2012. Picture/ AFP
Suresh Raina's friendship with MS Dhoni is famously known across the world of cricket.
Raina and Dhoni have been teammates in the blue outfit and the two have been a strong combination at the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings for over a decade.
Moreover, both cricketers retired from international cricket on the same day. MS Dhoni announced his retirement on August 15, 2020 and his CSK teammate and good friend Suresh Raina too followed suit.
Meanwhile, Suresh Raina is looking forward to the IPL 2021 remainder season in October and is eager to win the title once again for MS Dhoni.
ALSO READ
Could Rishabh Pant be the next star in CSK's yellow? Suresh Raina thinks so
'The more the better': Raina, Rayudu have their say on IPL retention
'Virat Kohli will score a lot of runs in upcoming WTC cycle': Suresh Raina
You can't just turn up and perform in competitive leagues like LLC: Suresh Raina
Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina wish MS Dhoni as he turns 43
Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show Cricket Connected, former Team India batsman Suresh Raina talks about winning IPL 2021 title for MS Dhoni, "We've played a lot of matches for India as well as CSK. He has played almost 200 matches for India and for CSK. I think it's just the emotion and on top of that we have that respect for each other. I have learned a lot from him, and he is like a big brother to me. We have won a lot of trophies together and have lost a lot of finals as well, but I think the belief, the respect we have for each other is immense. And that's what everyone loves about it (our bond). Hopefully, when we go to Dubai, we will have a camp and we can again win it for him. I think the way we were playing this year; we were having some extra confidence from his captaincy and he was enjoying each other's success. He was giving freedom to all the players and having Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis in the side, we had the momentum. Hopefully, when we go to Dubai, we can do it again for MS."
India will be locking horns against Pakistan at the ICC T20 World Cup this year as both teams are placed in the same group.
Suresh Raina also talked about his most memorable game against Pakistan, "I think the match against Pakistan in 2011 World Cup is the most memorable one. India had to win the semi-final as the game was crucial for both teams. Pakistan was on top of the pool, as they played a lot of matches in Sri Lanka. Definitely, I would say 2011 (was most memorable). After that, our team got stronger and we never lost against them in the World Cup. 2011 World Cup was critical because we were playing the tournament on our home soil and we had pressure to play one more game in the final. The emotions were different but, we all managed to stay calm. When you're playing against Pakistan, you make sure you give your best. You need to give it back to your team; you need to work hard on your intention, planning, and every other thing. We worked hard, and the whole team did well."
