Raina says IPL exit was a \'personal\' call

Cricketer Suresh Raina’s sudden exit from the Indian Premier League (IPL) took almost the entire nation by surprise. The internet has been abuzz with speculations about a possible rift between Raina and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) players. However, on Thursday, the cricketer, in an interview with Cricbuzz put all the speculations to rest.

In the interview, Raina clarified that his decision to leave the CSK team was a ‘personal’ one and did not have anything to do with an alleged rift with the team.

“It was a personal decision and I had to come back for my family. There was something that needed to be addressed immediately on the home front,” Raina said in the interview.

Shedding light on the move that took many by surprise, Raina said that it was a tough decision, and that CSK is family. He also said that MS Bhai (MS Dhoni) is important for him. “Nobody will just turn their back on Rs 12.5 crore and walk away without a solid reason,” Raina went on to add.

Reacting to N Srinivasan’s recent comments, in which he called Raina a ‘prima donna’, the cricketer said that the team boss’s statements were taken out of context.

“He is like a father figure to me and he’s always stood by me and is close to my heart. He treats me like his younger son and I am sure a lot of what he said was taken out of context. Ek baap apne bacche ko daant sakta hai(A father can scold his son),” he said.

Raina said that Srinivasan didn’t know the “real reasons” for his departure when he made the comments and has since sent him a message.

The development comes after the cricketer, on Tuesday, had tweeted about the Pathankot incident in which two of his relatives were killed.

Talking about the incident, Raina said, “The Pathankot incident was horrible and has really been very disturbing for everyone in our family. And it was my responsibility to come back and take care of them. But since I've returned, I've been in quarantine here. So, I still have to go meet my parents and my bua who are all in great distress.”

When asked if he was comfortable with the bio-security measures taken in the UAE to keep IPL players safe, Raina lauded BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) for their efforts. However, Raina added that he has a family back home and was concerned that if something were to happen to him, how his family would cope with it.

“My family is most important to me and I am really concerned for them during these times. I haven't seen my kids for more than 20 days, even after coming back, since I am in quarantine,” added the 33-year-old.

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Wishes Pour In

Tuesday saw wishes pour in aplenty for India’s original ‘Captain Cool’ as he turned a year older. Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have been away from the sporting arclights - he hasn't played any international cricket since July 2019 when India lost to New Zealand in the ICC World Cup semis - but he remains entrenched in public memory.

Colleagues from the cricket dressing room, buddies from the IPL Chennai Super Kings dugouts, seniors from another era, commentators, fans, and his better-half joined the bandwagon to ring in the enigmatic cricketer’s 39th, virtually.