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Suresh Raina has talked about the extra yards put in by MS Dhoni at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) nets this year. He also added that the former Indian captain's motivation to do well in this year's IPL was apparent.
Raina made these observations while speaking on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected. The southpaw, CSK's top run-getter in the IPL, expressed happiness that the senior members of the group got an opportunity to bat together at the CSK nets.
He added that although MS Dhoni usually bats for long periods at the CSK nets, he went the extra mile this time, and was not getting weary while doing so.
"The best thing was that Rayudu, myself, Mahi bhai and Murali were batting in a group and Mahi bhai bats for long hours when he is in Chennai, for about 2 to 4 hours. But this time he was just not getting tired of batting. He was doing his gym in the morning, followed by batting for 3 hours in the evening," said Raina.
Raina elaborated that due to their advancing age and lack of match practice, they had to put in additional effort in training to get used to the rigours of an actual match situation.
"When you spend the day at the nets, from gym workouts to fielding workouts to batting, then the next morning it leads to some stiffness in the body. We are that stage when the body has become a little slower and you have to put in the extra effort and work for 5 hours for a 3 hour training so that you can play a 4-hour match without getting tired."
He added that MS Dhoni took it a little easy in the initial days at the camp, but that he was still able to play the big shots with ease.
"The first few days he took it lightly and just focused on going to the gym but he was playing the shots beautifully and his fitness level was great and he was not getting tired. We used to have a gym session from 9:00AM or 9:30AM, a pool session in the afternoon and we would leave by 5PM after coming at 9:00AM or 9:30AM."
Raina reiterated that MS Dhoni's preparations were different this time, when compared to all the years they had played together both at the franchise and the Indian team. He also hoped for the IPL to start soon, for everyone to see the work that the CSK captain had put in.
"His preparations were different this time, I have played with him over the years with the national side and IPL getting ready but it was different this time, so I just hope the matches can start quickly. Then everyone can see how well prepared he is and see what I saw myself LIVE in the two months of camp that we had. When someone works hard, then the prayers and blessings find their way to them."
MS Dhoni's role in Suresh Raina's success at CSK
Raina also touched upon the impact MS Dhoni has had on his batting. He expressed his delight at the fact that the CSK captain has always given him the free rein to express himself, and that he did not try to alter too much in his game.
"For whatever time we have played, my USP has been that MS Dhoni has given me the license to bat freely and he always knew my capability. Whatever strengths I have in my game and whenever things were going great for me, if I needed to tweak something, he would also slowly give me a warning and tell me what the results could be if there is a change in the strategy and then he would leave the final call to me."
He added that MS Dhoni would explain to him the pros and cons of his actions and their impact on the team's situation, thereby allowing Raina to take an informed decision.
He would not try to change anything but he would let you know the outcome/ result and how the situation of the team will be. So, he is also covering my batting and he is also telling me where the team can be. This allows me to make a compact decision.”
Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni have been the batting mainstays for CSK in the IPL. The former is the franchise's top-getter in the prestigious league, with 4527 runs to his name. MS Dhoni is the 2nd highest run-scorer for CSK, with 3858 runs to his credit.
Although Raina has a great overall record in the IPL, he did not have a great time in IPL 2019. His 383 runs in the season came at a lowly average of 23.93, and he would be hoping to set the record straight this time.
MS Dhoni, on the other hand, had an outstanding IPL 2019, with his 416 runs coming at an amazing average of 83.20. He would hope to continue in the same vein this year.
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