"Should have given senior players like Sachin Tendulkar the respect they deserve"- Suresh Raina on former India coach Greg Chappell

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina made his international debut when Greg Chappell was the head coach of the Men in Blue. The former Australian great didn't have the best of stints with the Indian team and was a part of several controversies.

Several Indian players who played under Chappell's coaching at that time have been pretty vocal in claiming that he disrupted the unity in the team. Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had also written in his book 'Playing It My Way' about how Chappell's situation with the players had become untenable.

Speaking to The Lallantop, here's what Suresh Raina had to say about Greg Chappell and his mistakes:

"He (Chappell) brought in many young and dynamic players. However, he should have given senior players like Sachin Tendulkar the respect they deserve.

"He made us practice a lot more, including running and fielding. His style was very Aussie. But he should have given respect to the players. He was also hit. A fan in Odisha breached security and slapped him."

Suresh Raina believes local coaches need to be a part of the dressing rooms of IPL teams as well as the Indian team.

He reckons these coaches have more knowledge about the grassroots and local players than the foreign coaches would ever have. Raina also gave the example of the Gujarat Titans and how Ashish Nehra's coaching has improved the team by leaps and bounds.

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Suresh Raina on the party culture in the IPL

In the initial few seasons of the IPL, there used to be a lot of parties after games. While Suresh Raina is aware of such parties, he said that Chennai Super Kings' focus has always been on recovery and getting fresh for the next game:

"Chennai never partied, which is why they are the most successful. The two three teams who partied the most are yet to win the trophy. We never partied, and we have five IPL trophies and two Champions League trophies. If you're partying all night, how will you play the next day?"

Raina has played several sensational knocks for CSK, but probably none comes closer to the 87 off 25 he scored against the Kings XI Punjab during Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2014 season.

Despite his sensational effort, Chennai lost and were knocked out of the competition. Suresh Raina revealed that MS Dhoni was angry after the game and said:

"I was seeing the ball differently that day. It was like I just wanted to keep hitting and hitting. Dhoni bhai was very angry after the match. I haven't seen him so angry.

"He scolded everyone and threw his pads and helmet, just like how he punched himself after hitting Irfan Pathan for a six. (IPL 2010 reference)"

Chasing a mammoth 227 to win, CSK were on track until Raina was run out. CSK lost by 24 runs and the left-hander accepted that they were gutted that they couldn't get over the line.