Suresh Raina Recalls MS Dhoni’s Shocked Reaction to His Sudden Retirement Announcement

Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni announced their international retirements within minutes of each other on August 15, 2020, marking the close of an important chapter in Indian cricket. Both players were in the Chennai Super Kings bio‑bubble ahead of the IPL when they made the decision to step away from international cricket.

Dhoni shared his retirement via an Instagram post, and Raina followed less than an hour later. Raina later recounted what transpired in the CSK dressing room after his announcement. According to the former India batter, Dhoni was taken aback by the timing of Raina’s decision and could not believe it had been made so swiftly.

“It’s the game, right? You live for it as a player. You do so much for the country, parents sacrificed so much, but at that moment I felt this is the best. Because all these things happen… You wanted to spend time with your family. At that point, whether I was 32 or 33, whatever the age was… But in the dressing room when he did it, I went in and said ‘It’s done.’ He goes ‘Ye Kya Kiya Tune’ (What did you just do?),” he was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports.

Raina had anticipated that Dhoni would announce his retirement upon arriving in Chennai, so he was mentally prepared for that moment. The two players had already agreed to retire on the same day.

The Sacrifice That Shaped Their Partnership

Raina revealed that Dhoni had given up his own batting position to allow Raina to bat higher in the order during their international careers. When Dhoni was not captain, he batted higher, but after assuming leadership he moved down the order to make room for Raina to play a more prominent role.

“I think at that time you played for the captain; you played for the team. But why I said captain… because I feel that at the batting position I got an opportunity; the captain sacrificed his own position. He used to bat higher up when Dada was captain, but he took the responsibility, saying, ‘Yuvi Pa (Yuvraj Singh), you go up, Suresh, you play here, I am sitting here,” Raina added.

Dhoni’s gesture of sacrificing his batting position left a lasting impression on Raina, motivating him to repay that faith with top‑level performances. He believed that if Dhoni showed such confidence in his abilities, he had to deliver on the field through consistent effort and commitment.

Raina expressed his gratitude for Dhoni’s sacrifice and the bond they shared.

“You know how he is as a person. But I think if someone sacrificed so much for you, then you have that… there should be a capacity to give back. Because everyone has money, but you need a big heart to spend it. So we had that heart for friendship, and it will always remain,” he concluded.

Raina’s international career spanned 226 ODIs, 78 T20Is and 18 Tests for India. He played his last professional match in the 2021 IPL, ending his career with four IPL titles won alongside Dhoni with Chennai Super Kings.

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