Suresh Raina reveals unheard on-field banter from "Aao captain sahab, aao" to "Bohot bade waala hai tu" with MS Dhoni
Suresh Raina has disclosed a couple of unheard of conversations with legendary former India captain MS Dhoni. The duo, who retired together from international cricket last year, has continued to play for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and have had a close-knit friendship over the years.
The first incident that Suresh Raina recalled was from the time when CSK were banned from the IPL for two years - 2016 and 17 - and their players sent into Gujarat Lions (GL) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS).
The all-rounder said he had 'mixed emotions' of playing against his former teammates. He revealed some hilarious banter with MS Dhoni where the latter beckoned him to the crease by saying 'Aao aao captain sahab, aao' (Come, come Mr. captain) from behind the wickets.
"Yes, there were mixed emotions. I remember we were playing in Rajkot and, Ashwin was bowling; McCullum was at the non-striker end; I was batting; Dhoni bhai was keeping; Faf du Plessis was standing at first slip. It felt like we were playing the Kanga League of my neighborhood! (chuckles)... When I went in to bat, Dhoni bhai said, 'Aao aao captain sahab, aao', and I said 'Aare hai are hai bhai, zara peeche ho thoda!' (I am coming brother, move aside first!). This was all very fun," Suresh Raina said on the '22 Yards with Gaurav Kapur' podcast.
About the second incident, Suresh Raina spoke about an instance when MS Dhoni ran the drinks during India's two-match series against Ireland in 2018. Raina narrated how he teased the former captain to the hilt by deliberately requesting for different items, even prompting a "Bohot bade waala hai tu" remark from MS Dhoni.
"We had gone to Ireland in 2018 and enjoyed ourselves there after the matches. Dhoni bhai carried drinks for me there. At one moment, he thought that I asked for a lot of gloves and bats, so he brought the whole kit bag to the ground and said: 'Take whatever you want, don't call me again'. I think I was batting alongside Rahul, and we both had hit fifties. He (Dhoni) said 'I won't come againl it's very cold out here'. (chuckles) I still said, 'Do one thing, bring a grip as well'. And he replied: 'Bohot bade waala hai tu, tu rukja, paani pi, mai leke aata hu'. So it was that kind of fun. I thought to myself that I'll take full revenge that day," added Suresh Raina.
'If I had your team, we would have been the champions' - what MS Dhoni told Suresh Raina when he was leading RPS
Suresh Raina further disclosed another interesting incident about MS Dhoni. He said that while they were at the helm of GL and RPS, respectively, Dhoni once told Raina that if he were the captain of the former team, he would have won the IPL.
"We were in touch during the season, and he told me, 'If I had your team, we would have been the champions'. He was guiding me; he didn't have a game that day, and I was asking him about some team combination things...," said Suresh Raina.
Both RPS and GL failed to clinch the IPL trophy in the said two years. MS Dhoni was even removed from the leadership of RPS in the second year, with the team ending as runners-up under Steve Smith's leadership in 2017.
CSK and the Dhoni-Raina combination returned to the IPL in 2018 and straight away produced a stunning trophy-winning performance. They are ranked second in the points table in IPL 2021 and would love to get their hands on the IPL trophy for the fourth time when the season resumes in the UAE in September this year.