MS Dhoni showed heart of a youngster in CSK training camp, reveals Suresh Raina

After a seven-month hiatus from competitive cricket, MS Dhoni, ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL), prepped himself for the tournament by training at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The fans turned up in numbers to watch the veteran star train and alongside Dhoni at the preparatory camp were the likes of Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu, amongst other Chennai Super Kings (CSK) players.

Raina, the most capped player in IPL history, revealed how astonished he was by Dhoni’s enthusiasm in the camp and stated that the veteran was in great touch with the bat in the nets. The camp, unfortunately, was cut short by the Covid-19 outbreak that also subsequently resulted in the postponement of the IPL.

"It was a nice camp. I was there for two months but then this happened. Got to spend some time with Dhoni. He was batting so well in the nets, he had the hunger of a youngster. In one session, he batted for three hours at a stretch," Raina told TOI.

Having pledged a donation of a total of Rs 52 lakh to the state and the central government, the CSK star is well aware of the threat the pandemic poses to the nation. Raina, who has represented India in 226 ODIs and 18 Tests, stated how IPL was the least of his concerns at the moment and added that people should start thinking about cricket if and only if the situation gets better.

"Life is most important at this point of time. IPL can surely wait. We all need to follow the government guidelines on lockdown else we all face the consequences. When life gets better, we can think about the IPL. So many people are dying at the moment, we need to save lives.”