Suresh Raina reveals MS Dhoni's prophetic '3 words' after CSK bought them both for IPL

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) stalwart Suresh Raina has shared his conversation with skipper MS Dhoni in his autobiography 'Believe'. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni have been the major reasons why CSK is the second most successful in the IPL. Recently, Suresh Raina went back to the first season of IPL and revealed how 'Thala' MS Dhoni reacted when CSK bought him during the auctions. Suresh Raina who is also called 'Chinna Thala' also opened up about how it was playing alongside many legends of the game in his autobiography, as reported by India TV. 

Raina in his book revealed that like any other player he was eagerly waiting to know in which team he will go and after he was bought by CSK he was elated. "The IPL auctions happened, and like every other cricketer in the country, I was waiting eagerly to know which team I would be playing for. I was elated to go to the Chennai Super Kings. It meant Mahi Bhai and I would be playing for the same team. I heard from him almost immediately after I was bought in the auction," writes Raina in his autobiography. 

"'He said, 'Maza aayega dekh.' There was a lot of attention on him, of course. And looking at some of the other figures whom Chennai had bought—Matthew Hayden, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Stephen Fleming — I was just delighted to be in the same team as them. The IPL strengthened my bond with Mahi Bhai even further," added the 34-year-old left-handed batsman. 

Notably, MS Dhoni, who was already the captain of the Indian limited-overs team in 2008, was bought by the Super Kings for $1.5 million at the 2008 players’ auction. After Dhoni, CSK who was in pursuit to form a formidable core featuring Indian stars considered Suresh Raina. With a base price of $125,000 Raina’s stocks jumped to a price of $650,000 by the end of the inaugural auction.

Till now, Suresh Raina has played 200 matches in IPL and has amassed 5,491 runs with a strike rate of 136.89. Raina is also called 'Mr. IPL' due to his incredible performance in the India's cash-rich tournament. In a touching moment, Raina announced his own retirement from International Cricket on the back of Dhoni's decision on August 15, 2020.

MS Dhoni Pokes Fun At Ravindra Jadeja's Signature Move

In the video that seems to be shot during one of CSK's training sessions, Dhoni is seen sitting beside Robin Uthappa. The CSK skipper seems in a playful mood as he imitates Jadeja's sword celebration. Both Dhoni and Uthappa are all smiles in the video. CSK captioned the post, "Sword ft. Thala". As expected, the video was flooded with lot of reactions as CSK fans were left in splits. Soon, Ravindra Jadeja also responded to the video and suggested MS Dhoni to try the sword celebration with the bat. 

MS Dhoni's Unique Contribution To Fight COVID-19

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni co-owned Chennaiyin FC has associated with Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to spread awareness about COVID-19 related information, protocol, and updates for the city through digital means. With their collaboration with GCC, Chennaiyin FC which is also co-owned by Abhishek Bachchan will intensify the governing body's COVID-19 related leads in order to widen the reach. It is worth mentioning that the club is also co-owned by entrepreneur Vita Dani.

(Image Credits: BCCI)