Suresh Raina thanks CSK for making him a real cricketer

Suresh Raina has recently given credit to Chennai Super Kings for making him the player he is today. The out of favour Indian batsman is an IPL maverick. Suresh Raina is the leading run scorer of all time in the IPL. His consistency in the shorter format of the game has helped him to become the only player to score 350+ runs in all 10 seasons. The Uttar Pradesh captain hit a magnificent knock of 126* against Bengal on Monday. It was expected to see the southpaw being retained along with captain MS Dhoni and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

Raina is a brilliant fielder as he holds the record for most catches (83) in the IPL. Moreover, he has never missed a match for CSK. He is the first and only Indian player to have scored a century in IPL, CLT20 and T20I. He has not only performed well with CSK in the IPL, but also in the CLT20, where he holds the record for most number of half-centuries. In summary, the 31-year-old has scored 4540 runs in 161 matches at an average of 34.13 and a strike rate of just under 140.

“We have played so many matches together. We had to play for CSK again. In fact, I became a real player in Chennai,” Raina said during the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic T20 tournament. “The coaches and the players there like Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Muttiah Muralitharan had a fine influence on me. I have learnt a lot from them. It’s not a team but like a family.”

Raina said he is eager to don the yellow jersey

“The amount of love I have got from fans was great. It was a great team atmosphere. Many players like (Ravichandran) Ashwin, (Pawan) Negi, Jadeja came up from CSK. You have to perform to play and I’m looking forward to play for Chennai again. We all are excited to regroup,” he said to TOI.

Although Suresh Raina is an IPL stalwart, his international record has been anything but impressive. Raina has never been a great test player and even though he has put up a few good performances in the limited overs format, he has been very inconsistent. He has been kept out of the national side due to fitness problems. As he has cleared the Yo-Yo fitness test, he is in contention for a place in the team but it is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Raina, who is currently playing for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, said that he plays each and every tournament with the same intent. He will hope to roll back the years and have another fruitful IPL season with CSK ahead of the upcoming Asia cup where he would be looking to make a comeback in the team.

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