By Eshaan Soni
This is a tribute to two of Indian cricket’s stalwarts: Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina…
The day that marked 73 years of Indian independence will also be known as the day that brought news that many ardent cricket fans had been dreading to hear for a very long time.
While the decision surrounding MS Dhoni’s retirement was expected to come sooner or later, nobody thought that the day of Mahi’s retirement would actually come. “From 1929 hrs, consider me as retired”, said the Ranchi superstar on an Instagram post, leaving all of us ‘stumped’.
The day became even more painful when within an hour, Chinna Thala Suresh Raina decided to join Dhoni in retirement. Raina, who has played over 300 matches for India across all formats, is considered to be one of the finest players to ever step on to the cricket field.
The thought of never seeing these two maestros in blue again will definitely be hard to fathom, but it is, at the same time, important to acknowledge all that they have contributed to Indian cricket and to the sport as a whole over the last decade-and-a-half.
MS Dhoni
· The only international captain to claim 3 ICC trophies (2007, 2011 and 2013)
· Most sixes in international cricket as captain
· Most stumpings in international cricket
· Highest score by a wicket-keeper batsman in an ODI (183*)
· Most successful T20I captain with 41 wins
· Most centuries while batting at number 7 in ODIs
· Led the Chennai Super Kings to 3 IPL titles with the best win % of 60.61
Suresh Raina
· Only Indian batsman to score a century in ICC T20 World Cup history
· Became only the third cricketer and first Indian to register a ton in all three formats of international cricket
· Third-highest run-scorer among Indian batsmen in T20 cricket (overall)
· First Indian to score 6,000 and 8,000 T20 runs
· Highest run-getter in the history of IPL with 4,540 runs at an average of 34.13, earning him the title of Mr. IPL
· Most catches in the IPL: Raina has claimed 102 catches in 192 innings, making him the first fielder in the tournament to claim 100 catches
· Most consecutive appearances for Chennai Super Kings: 158 matches
Batting together, Raina and Dhoni shared 3,585 runs from 73 ODI innings at an incredible average of 56.90. While the dynamic duo may not be seen in blue again, they will certainly appear in yellow on the 19th of September when the Indian Premier League makes its much awaited return for the thirteenth edition. I’m sure that every Indian, regardless of the team they support, will tune into all CSK matches just to see these two play again. After all, the partnership that these cricketing legends have had with their supporters is and will forever be invincible.
We thank you for everything, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina.
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