IPL 2018 | We want to win the IPL for MS Dhoni, says Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina has stated that MS Dhoni has an emotional connect with Chennai Super Kings and cares a lot for the franchise and the team want to win the tournament for him. Raina has also added that Dhoni gets criticized very often but answers back his critics with his performances on the field.
MS Dhoni has always been the vital cog in the Chennai Super Kings’ line-up and this year hasn’t been any different. In fact, this year, Dhoni, who had struggled for form in the last two seasons of IPL for Rising Pune Supergiant, has led the side with example and has scored 455 runs at an amazing strike rate of 150.66. Along with his impressive form that has helped CSK finish the matches quite wonderfully, his leadership skills have been impactful and has helped CSK reach their seventh final in the nine seasons they have been a part of the IPL. This season has been a testament to the revival of Dhoni as a player and as a leader.
Suresh Raina, who has been the part of CSK since 2008, revealed that Dhoni got emotional after their win against SRH and insisted that Dhoni cares a lot about the team. He stated that because of all the contributions Dhoni has made over the years for CSK, this time, the team wants to win the title for him.
“He got quite emotional (when the team reached the final this time). He cares so much for Chennai; we all do. He has been amazing for CSK since 2008 and is one of the nicest guys around. So this time, we want to win the IPL for Dhoni,” Raina was quoted by the CSK website.
Raina stated that Dhoni has been the constant target of critics and has always answered his critics with amazing performances. He showed confidence in his team and said that they have a team that could win the title for Dhoni this time.
“He gets criticized so often and every time (he) answers his critics back through his performance. Sometimes you need to see it from an emotional side as well. We definitely have a team which can win it for MS this time. You need to do something (special)
Raina felt the tag given to CSK of ‘a bunch of old guys’ was not justified as it is the experience that counts and they have been using that pretty well. He pointed out that CSK has lots of match winners, with lots of experience in them. He concluded that he wanted to win the title this time as the last time they won the title was in 2011.
“I remember reading somewhere after the auction that Chennai team is a bunch of old guys. But it is all about experience and how well you use it. Our unit is very confident right now. This season we batted as a group. Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudugave us good starts and then myself, followed by MS have been doing well. So if you see our team is so experienced and has so many match winners in it. We haven’t won the title since 2011 so I really want to do it this time,” Raina said.
