Suresh Raina reacts to a startling coincidence involving him, MS Dhoni, and 15th August
Chennai Super Kings' vice-captain Suresh Raina announced his retirement last evening just a few minutes after former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni decided to bring his international career to an end.
While both Raina and Dhoni will continue playing for CSK in the IPL, the fans have been speculating why both cricketers made this massive announcement out of the blue on Saturday evening. Some fans have linked the Ranchi-based player's retirement declaration timing with the time of India's defeat in the 2019 World Cup semifinal match against New Zealand.
Interestingly, a Twitter user pointed out a startling coincidence between the jersey numbers of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina and India's Independence Day. The nation completed 73 years of independence on Saturday, and coincidentally, Dhoni and Raina donned jersey numbers '7' and '3' throughout their international careers.
This tweet received much attention on the micro-blogging platform and even Suresh Raina reacted to it. The former Gujarat Lions captain dropped three emojis in the comments box, including the Indian flag emoji.
What's next for Suresh Raina?
Suresh Raina has joined the CSK training camp ahead of IPL 2020, and the southpaw will return to the field next month in the UAE. While MS Dhoni is 39 years old now, Raina is just 33 and has a few more years of cricket left in him.
The Uttar Pradesh-based player would love to continue representing CSK for the coming years, but he also has expressed his desire to play in foreign T20 leagues in the past.
The likes of Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan have already been a part of overseas franchise cricket. However, according to the current BCCI policy, Suresh Raina would have to retire from IPL as well before asking for a NOC from the board. Since CSK is so close to Raina's heart, it is unlikely that the left-handed batsman will quit IPL in the coming future.