As India completed 73 years of independence, Indian cricket team’s iconic number ‘7’ and ‘3’ decided to bring an end to their glorious international careers.
It started with MS Dhoni’s surprise announcement of retirement through his Instagram post. The former Indian captain showcased all the memorable events in his cricketing career with a video which he uploaded on Saturday evening.
Looking at Dhoni’s decision, his comrade and brother in arms, Suresh Raina also decided to join his friend’s journey and announced his retirement from international cricket.
Both Dhoni and Raina made their international debut for India at roughly the same timeline. The two, along with Yuvraj Singh, formed the core of Indian middle order for over a decade.
The hit pair of Dhoni and Raina also served the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the inception of IPL in 2008. The two are fondly tagged as ‘Thala’ and ‘China Thala’ respectively, for their services donning the yellows of CSK.
Looking at Raina’s decision to quit international cricket, his CSK teammate Harbhajan Singh reckoned that the southpaw still had a lot to offer while donning the Indian blues, while expressing surprise at his call.
“Quite shocked about @ImRaina’s retirement.. still feel u have a lot to give to the game in blue, with age and fitness on ur side.. but as they say you know when you know.. all the best for your 2nd inn.. God bless you,” Bhajji tweeted.
Quite shocked about @ImRaina’s retirement.. still feel u have a lot to give to the game in blue, with age and fitness on ur side.. but as they say you know when you know.. all the best for your 2nd inn.. God bless you
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) August 16, 2020
One of the biggest travesties for Raina was not being provided with another opportunity in the Indian team. Raina made a decent comeback into the Indian team after receiving the axe in 2015. The flamboyant southpaw last featured for India in the 2018 T20I series against England.
Both Bhajji and Raina have shared the same dressing room in the IPL in the last couple of seasons. The two are also set to take part in the thirteenth edition of the IPL, starting September 19.
