The relationships between Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni have been a never-ending one being while playing for Team India or Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, the fans are still not aware of when the two met for the first time. Raina in his book, ‘Believe’, reveals it for the first time ever for the fans of the two Indian cricketing stars.

In his recent book, Suresh Raina recalled his recent meeting Dhoni for the first time during a Duleep Trophy match in Gwalior in 2005 during a match between East Zone and Central Zone. While Dhoni was the wicketkeeper for the East Zone side, Raina had also earned a name for himself in the opposite team. Suresh Raina also acknowledged a long-haired hard-hitting Dhoni – who had already made his India debut by then – was a sight to behold.

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Raina also goes on to reveal that none of them managed to score big during that Duleep Trophy game. The southpaw also recalled Dhoni taking his catch during the match. Adding further, Raina says that during that game the two of them did not interact much. Yet Suresh Raina mentions that he felt Dhoni was similar to him.

An excerpt from the book of Suresh Raina stated, “I remember when that was. I came across M.S. Dhoni for the first time during a Duleep Trophy match in Gwalior. It was February 2005, and I was representing Central Zone against East Zone, with Mahi Bhai as their wicketkeeper. He was quite a sight to behold.”

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It further added, “The long hair, the confident attitude, the self-belief and his hard-hitting. He had already made his international debut at that point, having played three ODIs in Bangladesh. But he had not made much of an impact. Neither of us scored too many runs in the game at Gwalior, but he did take my catch behind the wickets in the first innings.”