Suresh Raina has recently spoken in a podcast about the emotional moment with Dhoni that came after his surprise international retirement on 15 August 2020. Just minutes after MS Dhoni announced his own
retirement, Raina walked into the Chennai Super Kings dressing room and quietly told his captain, “Done.” MS Dhoni’s first reaction was one of complete disbelief. “Ye kya kar diya tune?,” he asked. Raina felt it was the right time to prioritise family after years of sacrifice. Both men hugged, cried and later partied with CSK teammates that night. The two had been together almost from the very beginning and so it was fitting that they stepped away from international cricket at the same time.
Suresh Raina later explained his decision in simple terms, “That moment, I felt it was the best time.” At the age of 33 after spending years playing international cricket and wanting to spend more time with his family, he decided it was time to step away. He also chose to do it on the same day as the man he had followed for more than a decade.
#SureshRaina on #Dhoni’s reaction to his 2020 retirement:
“I went in and said ‘It’s done.’ He goes ‘Ye kya kiya tune?’”
Raina also revealed Dhoni sacrificed his batting position for him. “We had that heart for friendship, and it will always remain.”
Mahi-Raina bond 💛 pic.twitter.com/to0sPgVjeG
— Akhil (@akhil4343) September 5, 2026
The former left-hander in an interview in 2020 had revealed that they had planned the date deliberately. Dhoni’s jersey number 7 and Raina’s 3 added up to 73, matching India’s 73 years of independence, Dhoni made his India debut in December 2004 while Raina followed in July 2005. They went on to win the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy together, while also spending most of the years playing in the yellow of Chennai Super Kings.
Suresh Raina Reveals How MS Dhoni Put Team Ahead of Himself
Apart from the timing of their retirements, Raina also talked about something deeper about his relationship with Dhoni in the podcast. In a podcast with former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra, he recalled how Dhoni repeatedly put the team ahead of himself, even giving up his preferred higher batting position so that Raina could move further up the order. “He used to bat higher up when Dada was captain,” Raina said, “but he took the responsibility, saying ‘Yuvi Pa, you go up, Suresh, you play here, I am sitting here.’”
🚨 Suresh Raina: “I used to play for MS Dhoni first, and then for the India.”🚨
Akash Chopra: Why did you do that? What did MS Dhoni do for you?
Suresh Raina: I played for MS Dhoni and the team. Dhoni sacrificed his own position to give me the opportunity to play where I could… pic.twitter.com/tZnqLPSUp7
— Mahi Patel (@Mahi_Patel_07) September 5, 2026
MS Dhoni played 90 Tests, scoring 4876 runs at an average of 38.09 with six centuries and a highest score of 224. In ODIs he played 350 matches and scored 10773 runs at a remarkable average of 50.57, including ten centuries and 73 fifties, with an unbeaten 183 as his best. Across 98 T20 Internationals he contributed 1,617 runs at 37.60, finishing with a total of 17,266 international runs and was one of India’s best finishers and successful captains.
Suresh Raina played in 18 Tests, scoring 768 runs at 26.48 with one century. His strongest format was ODIs, where he played 226 games and scored 5615 runs at an average of 35.31 while scoring five hundreds and 36 fifties. In 78 T20Is he made 1605 runs at an average of 29.18 including a memorable century, and overall amassed nearly 8,000 international runs.
