Former Indian all-rounder Suresh Raina on Wednesday, September 6, announced his retirement from all formats of the game. The 35-year-old confirmed the development through a social media post.
Taking to his official Twitter account, Raina thanked the BCCI, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, Chennai Super Kings, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla and the cricket fans for the support throughout his cricketing journey.
“It has been an absolute honour to represent my country & state UP. I would like to announce my retirement from all formats of Cricket. I would like to thank @BCCI, @UPCACricket, @ChennaiIPL, @ShuklaRajiv sir & all my fans for their support and unwavering faith in my abilities,” Raina tweeted.
One of the prominent faces in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Raina couldn’t find a buyer at the mega players’ auction earlier this year. Surprisingly, even Chennai Super Kings didn’t bid for the player who had brought laurels for them in the past.
According to a Dainik Jagran report, Raina is likely to ply his trade in T20 leagues in South Africa, Sri Lanka and UAE. He will also not play for his state Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming domestic season.
“I want to continue playing cricket for two or three years. There are some exciting youngsters who are coming through the ranks of Uttar Pradesh cricket. I have already taken my No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA). I have informed BCCI secretary Jay Shah and vice-president Rajiv Shukla about my decision,” Raina was quoted as saying by Dainik Jagran.
The former Indian cricketer will join the team led by master blaster Sachin Tendulkar in the upcoming edition of the Road Safety World Series, starting September 10.
“I will play in the Road Safety Series. T20 franchises from South Africa, Sri Lanka and UAE have contacted me but I am yet to take any decision,” said Raina.
Back in 2020, Raina drew curtains on his international cricket. He made the announcement less than an hour after MS Dhoni announced his on August 15. Raina was part of the Indian team which won the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy under Dhoni’s leadership.
Raina’s international career spanned 13 years during which he played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is for India. He even got an opportunity to captain the team and delivered desired results. He has 5615 runs from 226 ODIs and 1605 from 78 T20Is for India.
Fondly known as Mr IPL, Raina retired as Raina the first Indian to slam hundreds in all three formats of the game, all of which were scored outside India.
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