Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vice-captain, Suresh Raina said he feels blessed for receiving never-ending love from fans in Chennai during the Indian Premier League (IPL). Raina said the monickers have given to him and MS Dhoni by CSK fans is something he will cherish for the rest of his life. 

Raina is fondly termed as ‘Chinna Thala’ by CSK fans while MS Dhoni is revered as ‘Thala’ in the IPL. CSK have sure ‘Thala’ and ‘Chinna Thala’ have a part of the emotional connection fans have with the 3-time champions.

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Talking about the same, during a chat with Harsha Bhogle, Raina said, “It’s pure love and pure blessing. It’s something you cherish for the rest of your life. ‘Thala’ and ‘Chinna Thala’, it’s something like Jai and Veeru from Sholay.”

He further added, “When we go down South, we have a lot of responsibility but they enjoy our cricket. It’s only because of the fans. They treat us really well, they give us a lot of freedom to express ourselves.”

Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni are eagerly waiting for IPL 2020, which is scheduled to commence on September 19 as they are preparing in a training camp in Chennai. Notably, Raina followed Dhoni into retirement as the CSK duo surprised the cricket fraternity by announcing their retirements on India’s Independence Day.

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Stressing that MS Dhoni is a tough character, Raina said, “He reads the game really well. We have seen over the years how he led the team over the years and got tougher with each and every tour. I would say he really learned a lot from the 2007 World Cup loss. You can win a lot of matches, when you lose, you can learn a lot. That shows how serious a captain he is, a tough person he is. That 2007 World Cup really changed him as a person.”