Former Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri has opined that the Chennai Super Kings have failed to replace Suresh Raina in their playing XI. Raina was the backbone of the Chennai-based franchise from 2008 to 2019. He did not play in IPL 2020, while he was dropped during the second phase of IPL 2021.
Because of the mega auction rules, the Chennai Super Kings had to release Suresh Raina and they did not bid for him at the auction. Raina is now a commentator. In his absence, CSK tried out some new players in their middle-order. However, none of them could make an impact like Raina did in the previous seasons.
Speaking on ESPNCricinfo after the Chennai Super Kings were eliminated from the competition, Ravi Shastri said:
“CSK have been doing well for several years, but we often tend to forget Suresh Raina’s contribution. He was a proven player in the IPL. He used to provide stability by scoring runs consistently while batting at No.3. He made things easier for the other batters. They need to find such a player.”
Ravi Shastri was the coach during the last international series of Suresh Raina
Ravi Shastri was the head coach of the Indian cricket team when Suresh Raina played his last series for the Indian cricket team. The left-handed batter played his last series against the England cricket team in 2018. He did well in IPL 2019 but was not considered for any international matches after that.
Raina announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in 2020. He played his last IPL season in 2021, where he won the title with the Chennai Super Kings. Now, he is working as a commentator for Star Sports Hindi, and even Ravi Shastri is a part of the same commentary panel for IPL 2022.
