Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on India’s 74th Independence Day on Saturday. Following the announcement that broke a million hearts, Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings teammate Suresh Raina also decided to bid adieu.
Raina has now revealed the reason behind the decision to retire from cricket on August 15.
Speaking to Dainik Jagran, Raina said that he and his captain decided to hang up their boots on Independence Day as the combination of their jersey numbers (no.7 for Dhoni; no.3 for Raina) made 73. India completed 73 years of independence on August 15 this year.
“We had already made up our minds to retire on Saturday (August 15). Dhoni’s jersey number is 7 and mine is 3—put it together and it makes 73. And on August 15, India completed 73 years of independence, so there couldn’t have been a better day,” Raina was quoted as saying by Dainik Jagran.
The 33-year-old announced his retirement on Instagram, but officially informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a day later on Sunday. Reports said that Dhoni, however, followed protocol and informed the Board before announcing his retirement on Saturday.
On August 15, Dhoni had posted a video highlighting his career on Instagram with the caption, “Thanks. Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout.from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired.”
Under Dhoni’s leadership, India lifted the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup, before leading the team to the Champions League title in 2013.
The former India captain and Raina are currently in Chennai, training for the Indian Premier League, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates this year from September 19. Chennai Super Kings will face Mumbai Indians in the inaugural match of the 2020 IPL which was shifted to the UAE due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IPL final will be played on November 10.
