Former Indian cricketer and Chennai Super Kings player Suresh Raina had shown his gratitude for always getting the support of Chennai fans during the Indian Premier League (IPL). He said that he would always cherish their love and blessings in his entire life.
Fans in South call Suresh Raina as Chinna Thala whereas MS Dhoni as Thala. The duo has huge respect among their fans and has an emotional connection with them.
In the recent interaction with the renowned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, Raina said that the nicknames ‘Thala’ and ‘Chinna Thala’ feels like Jai and Veeru, iconic roles played by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra in the 1975 Bollywood blockbuster, Sholay.
“It’s pure love and pure blessing. It’s something you cherish for the rest of your life. ‘Thala’ and ‘Chinna Thala’, it’s something like Jai and Veeru from Sholay,” Suresh Raina told popular sports commentator Harsha Bhogle for Cricbuzz.
Suresh Raina expressed that the fans are like an energy booster for the franchise because their support helps them to play the game with more freedom.
“When we go down South, we have a lot of responsibility but they enjoy our cricket. It’s only because of the fans. They treat us really well, they give us a lot of freedom to express ourselves.”
MS Dhoni is a tough person: Suresh Raina
Dhoni and Raina have set high bars of friendship after the duo together decided to hang their boots from international cricket. Soon after Dhoni shared the post of his retirement, Raina also shared a post on his Instagram to inform the fans that he would follow his CSK teammate in this decision.
Raina heaped praise on MS Dhoni’s character. He said that the CSK skipper is a tough person who learns from his mistakes.
“He reads the game really well. We have seen over the years how he led the team over the years and got tougher with each and every tour.
“I would say he really learned a lot from the 2007 World Cup loss. You can win a lot of matches, when you lose, you can learn a lot. That shows how serious a captain he is, tough person he is. That 2007 World Cup really changed him as a person.”
MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina would be raring to play in the IPL in the UAE because they both haven’t played a competitive match for over a year.