Dhoni and Raina both chose India’s Independence Day August 15 – as the date for their international retirements.
Raina played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is for India while in the IPL he has appeared in 193 matches out of which he played just two seasons for Gujarat Lions when Chennai Super Kings were suspended from the tournament in 2016 and 2017.
Raina made his ODI debut in July 2005 against Sri Lanka at the age of 19. However, his Test debut came about five years later, in July 2010, against the same opposition. Raina scored a hundred on his Test debut. He was a part of the Indian squad that won the 2011 World Cup.
He amassed 768 runs in Tests, 5615 runs in ODIs and 1605 runs in the shortest format for Team India. He was the first Indian batsman to hit hundreds in all three formats and is the second highest run-scorer in the IPL, behind Virat Kohli, with 5368 runs at 33.34 with 1 century and 38 fifties.
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MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday afternoon and moments later Suresh Raina also decided to follow his Chennai Super Kings captain in bidding adieu to international cricket.
Dhoni was last seen on the field in the 2019 World Cup semi-final loss against New Zealand in July whereas Raina was last seen in India colours in an ODI against England at Leeds in 2018.
But not all is doom and gloom for cricket fans as both players will be in action next month when IPL 2020 starts in the United Arab Emirates from September 19.
Dhoni and Raina both are currently in Chennai for a training camp ahead of the Indian Premier League’s latest season. The six-day camp started on Saturday (Aug. 15) and will go on till August 21.
“It was nothing but lovely playing with you, @mahi7781 . With my heart full of pride, I choose to join you in this journey. Thank you India. Jai Hind! (sic),” Raina wrote on his Instagram account.
Raina had been practicing hard at a sports complex in Ghaziabad for the past few weeks along with Delhi Capitals star Rishabh Pant while Dhoni was holed up at his farmhouse in Ranchi and has not played any sort of cricket in over a year.
Raina has been an integral part of the Indian team and CSK franchise from the time he made his international and IPL debut.
