Feel lucky to have played under some best minds; mixed emotions upon retiring, writes Suresh Raina

Just minutes separated MS Dhoni’s retirement announcement from his dear friend Suresh Raina’s. The two veterans of Indian cricket have been a long-standing feature of the Men in Blue from way back in 2005. Following his retirement, Suresh Raina stated that he feels incredibly lucky to have played cricket under some of the best minds in the sport, naming Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

While adding that it was a pleasure to play for the national team, he admitted that it wasn’t possible without the support from the others in the dressing room. Raina represented India in 322 matches, scoring 7998 runs over the span of his 13-year Indian career.

"My boys in BLUE, nothing would have been possible without the support of the wonderful India Team in blue. I had the pleasure of playing with the best of the very best players and all of them played for Team India. I feel lucky to have played under the captaincy of some of the best minds in the game Rahul Bhai, Anil Bhai, Sachin Paaji, Chiku, and especially with @mahi7781 for guiding me as a friend and mentor," he posted on Instagram. 

The all-rounder also added that it is with a lot of mixed feelings and emotions that he announced his retirement. On top of that, he also stated that all he has done in his life is play cricket, which runs through his veins. 

"With a lot of mixed feelings I am able to make this announcement of my retirement. From a very young age, I as a small boy had literally lived Cricket on every street, gali, and nukkad of my small town before making it to the Indian team. All I have known is cricket, all I have done is cricket and it runs through my veins."

"It has been an incredible ride and it would not have been possible without everyone who supported me during my ups and downs. This journey could not have been possible without the unflinching support and sacrifices of my parents, my loving wife Priyanka, my children Gracia and Rio, my brothers, my sister, and all members of our family. This is all for you. My coaches who always showed me the right direction, my Physicians for helping me heal, my trainers for helping me perform at the highest level," Raina added.

Both Raina and Dhoni, interestingly, announced their retirement on August 15, India's Independence Day, in the span of a few minutes and the timing of the decision invoked curiosity within fans. In an interview with newspaper Dainik Jagran, however, the CSK man revealed that both himself and MSD had, in fact, planned the retirement in advance to pay tribute to the nation.

“We had already made up our minds to retire on Saturday (August 15). Dhoni’s jersey number is 7 and mine is 3 – put it together and it makes 73. And on August 15, India completed 73 years of independence, so there couldn’t have been a better day,” Raina told Dainik Jagran

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With a lot of mixed feelings I’m able to make this announcement of my retirement. From a very young age, I as a small boy had literally lived Cricket on every street, gali and nukkad of my small town before making it to the Indian team. All I have known is cricket, all I have done is cricket & it runs through my veins. There hasn’t been a single day without counting my blessings & without acknowledging everything I have received from god & my people who showered nothing but love on me. All I strived for was to value those blessings & give my everything in return to my game, to my country & everyone who has been a part of this journey. I had multiple surgeries, set backs & moments when I felt that this is it but I didn’t stop or settle for anything which was not justified. It's been an incredible ride and it would not have been possible without everyone who supported me during my ups and downs. This journey could not have been possible without the unflinching support and sacrifices of my parents, my loving wife Priyanka, my children Gracia and Rio, my brothers, my sister and all members of our family. This is all you. My Coaches who always showed me the right direction, my Physicians for helping me heal, my trainers for helping me perform at the highest level. My boys in BLUE, nothing would have been possible without the support of the wonderful India Team in blue. I had the pleasure of playing with the best of the very best players and all of them played for Team India. I feel lucky to have played under the captaincy of some of the best minds in the game Rahul Bhai, Anil Bhai, Sachin Paaji, Chiku and especially with @mahi7781 for guiding me as a friend and mentor. Thank you @indiancricketteam and @upcacricket for the all the support and making the dreams of a boy from UP wanting to play for team India come true. And lastly my fans, I am what I am because of the love and adulation that you have showered upon me thru the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everyone who supported me in playing International Cricket at the highest level. I’ll always be filled with nothing but gratitude 🙏 Forever, Team India 🇮🇳 Jai Hind ✌️

A post shared by Suresh Raina (@sureshraina3) on Aug 16, 2020 at 3:53am PDT