Among them are two icons, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, whose lovely camaraderie endures to this day. But as India’s 78th Independence Day draws near, the story of their friendship becomes even more precious and worthwhile to retell.
Both on and off the pitch, the cricket world has seen an abundance of lovely bonhomies, or friendships. Similar strong ties have been seen in Indian cricket, where there are numerous examples that began while the players were relatively young.
2020 August 15 saw Raina and Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket.
Remarkably, the Indian cricket team’s Chinna-Thala duo shocked all of the supporters in 2020—the 74th year of the nation’s independence—by announcing their retirement from international cricket. To paint a fuller image, Chennai fans refer to Raina as “Chinna” with affection, while Dhoni is called “Thala.” Fans refer to them as “ChinnaThala” as a result, as though their friendship was a match made in heaven or on the cricket pitch.
The renowned Indian captain and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni had a notable appearance in an ODI World Cup quarterfinal match against New Zealand in 2019. In a statement on Instagram, the icon revealed his unexpected retirement, one year later. His close friend Suresh Raina also joined ‘Mahi’ to say goodbye to international cricket before the supporters could blink and accept that their beloved number 7 would never again play in the iconic blue jersey of India.
Why did Suresh Raina decide to announce their retirement on August 15th?
In a Dainik Jagran interview, Suresh Raina disclosed the true rationale behind his August 15 retirement, which also happens to be India’s Independence Day. Remarkably, Raina continued, stating that when his and MS Dhoni’s jersey numbers are added together, the result will be 73. Accordingly, as of August 15, 2020, based on numerical data, the largest democracy in the world celebrated 73 years of freedom. That day was therefore fortunate and ideal for retirement.
“We had previously arranged to leave on August 15th. My jersey number is three, while Dhoni’s is seven. Together, they total 73, and on August 15, 2020, India celebrated 73 years of independence. “In my opinion, there was no better day to retire than that,” Raina said to Dainik Jagran.
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In addition, MS Dhoni won three ICC titles during his flawless captaincy term with Team India, and Suresh Raina lifted the ODI World Cup trophy in 2011. During his incredible tenure as captain, Dhoni set numerous records by winning the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. Consequently, he became the only captain to win the World Cup in every format other than restricted overs.
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