'He's the guy to win the final': Suresh Raina reveals how he helped MS Dhoni find his replacement for CSK in IPL 2021

Suresh Raina is considered to be one of the IPL’s finest ever batters, playing over 200 games in his career and racking up over 5500 runs. He was a staple of the Chennai Super Kings teams which have become the IPL’s most successful team, and his quality and consistency from the number 3 spot for CSK was a large part of that success.

Raina, now retired from all forms of cricket, was gently phased out from the CSK starting set-up in the 2021 season, as age and poor form caught up with the man often referred to as ‘Mr. IPL’. Towards the end of that season, with the tournament having moved to the UAE, Raina had been having a poor run of results, and was subsequently replaced in the starting XI by Robin Uthappa.

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The two players were in conversation with each other for JioCinema, and Raina took that opportunity to reveal that it was with his blessing and by his own admission that Uthappa played the last 4 matches of that season, with CSK lifting the trophy at the end of it in Dubai.

“When MS Dhoni and I talked, I suggested him that 'you should try Robin Uthappa'. He (Dhoni) took permission from me to play you and I said him that 'he is the guy to give you the final, trust me',” said Raina. His words would prove prophetic, as Uthappa scored a vital 63(44) against the Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier, before Dhoni finished off the innings to book CSK’s spot in their ninth IPL final.

He would play an equally important role in the final, stepping in at number three and continuing the momentum of the innings as CSK scored well over par in the first innings. His 31(15) was exactly what CSK needed to push them to 192, which was too much for their opponents KKR as they fell 27 runs short.

“MS Dhoni said that 'see we have played since 2008 but I want to win this season. Now, you tell me what to do',” continued Raina. “I said 'play Robin at number 3 and make sure he is in the playing XI till final. If you win, CSK will win. Whether I play or him, Robin and Raina are same',” concluded the former Gujarat Lions captain.

Raina’s career has come to a close, one which saw him become the first Indian batter to score a century in all three formats of the game and is glittering with silverware and success throughout. Such comments show his selflessness and understanding of situations within cricket, explaining why he has been such an integral part of some of the last decade’s most successful cricket units.