Former Australia all-rounder and Chennai Super Kings star opener Shane Watson has reacted to the news of his teammate Suresh Raina leaving the UAE on Saturday with less than three weeks left for the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
Watson feels Raina will be sorely missed by the franchise in the upcoming IPL season. The Aussie said that his heart goes out for the southpaw, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket.
Watto took to Instagram and shared an emotional video raising his opinion on the current situation.
“I woke up this morning to the really sad news that Suresh Raina is heading back to India for personal reasons. My heart goes out to you Suresh, I hope you’re going, okay mate. You are gonna be sorely missed for CSK,” the 39-year-old said.
Referring to Raina as a ‘star’ and the ‘heartbeat’ of CSK, Watson further said: “You have been the star for CSK, you are the heartbeat of the team and you are also gonna be missed by IPL tournament as well. You are such a star of the IPL but most important is your well-being and I hope you are gonna be okay.”
Calling IPL as the best T20 tournament in the world, the Ipswich-born also spoke about the coronavirus pandemic which has changed the lifestyle of people across the world.
“It’s been an interesting time to be locked down again for another seven days but this is the ever-changing world that we live in. We all have to do everything we can to stay safe and limit the chances of COVID spreading throughout the IPL because this is the best T20 tournament in the world, all players and everyone, all the fans want it to go ahead. I will do, and I know we all will do whatever we have to be able to make sure that the IPL goes ahead,” he concluded.
The last two days have also seen thirteen of CSK members, including two players being tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
