Suresh Raina called out by fans for mentioning his caste while commentating in TNPL game

Former India international Suresh Raina has landed himself in controversy after making a mention of his cate on national television while commentating during the opening match of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). Raina, who plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League and is affectionately known by his fans as 'Chinna Thala' (Young leader), mentioned his caste when asked about his affinity for South Indian culture. Raina began by mentioning his caste, "Brahmin," as he described his ties to the Southern Indian state.

"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," Raina said while appearing on Star Sports to comment on the TNPL match.

Netizens trolls Raina

However, Suresh Raina was called out by fans for mentioning his caste when asked about his affinity towards the south Indian culture.

Raina is regarded as one of India's most prolific batsman-fielders in the limited-overs format. Raina made his India debut in 2005 and went on to play 226 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 78 Twenty-Twenty-Innings (T20Is) for his country. Raina has 5,615 runs in ODIs and 1,605 in the T20Is, which he scored at an average of 35.31 and 29.18 respectively. The 34-year-old was a member of the World Cup-winning team that won the trophy in 2011 under the captaincy of his mentor, MS Dhoni. Raina announced retirement from international cricket in August 2020, moments after Dhoni put down his gloves for India. 

Image: SureshRaina/Insta