Suresh Raina, the star cricketer of the Chennai Super Kings, has been caught in a controversy on Monday when he equated ‘Chennai culture’ with his Brahmin identity.
Speaking at the opening match between Lyca Kovai Kings and the Salem Spartans, both teams of the Tamil Nadu Premier League, the 34-year-old middle-order batsman said, “I think I am also a Brahmin. I have been playing since 2004 in Chennai, I love the culture. I love my teammates. I have played with Anirudha Srikanth, Badri (S Badrinath), Bala Bhai (L Balaji).”
“We have a good administration at CSK and we have the license to explore ourselves. I love the culture there, and I’m lucky to be part of CSK,” added Raina, the TOI reported.
His comment attracted widespread condemnation from fans all over. People started demanding an apology from him while asserting that he ‘knew nothing about Chennai culture’. Microblogging platform Twitter was flooded with comments criticising his caste reference.
Did #SureshRaina just say ‘Am also a Brahmin’ on national telivision..😂😂Chennai culture… hmmm#TNPL2021 pic.twitter.com/zKa2nwoeIs
— The Illusionist (@JamesKL95) July 19, 2021
@ImRaina you should be ashamed yourself. It seems that you have never experienced real Chennai culture though you have been playing many years for Chennai team. https://t.co/ZICLRr0ZLh
— Suresh (@suresh010690) July 19, 2021
Brazen. Ugh. https://t.co/WwTjLgreCw— Shri (@shrishrishrii) July 19, 2021
Raina, who has been a part of Chennai Super Kings since 2008, is currently acting as a commentator for the fifth season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League. During the match, he was asked by an interviewer about his closeness to the Chennai culture. In the past, Raina has been spotted enjoying the city’s culture, including donning traditional South Indian garb. It was in response to this question that Raina made this controversial comment, which is now viral on social media, leading to merciless trolling.
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