Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Suresh Raina is all set to commentate in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season after going unsold in the mega auction. Ahead of his commentating gig alongside former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, Raina has revealed his pick for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s successor in the four-time IPL-winning side.
“Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa and Dwayne Bravo can lead the side. They are capable, know the game very well and can be a successor for MS Dhoni,” Raina said in a press conference organised by Star Sports.
Raina was asked about his commentary debut as well. Mr. IPL said that he has prepared for the new role. The southpaw will also take tips from his friends who have commentated before.
“I am prepared for this. Some of my friends Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla are already doing commentary. And then we will have Ravi Bhai (Shastri) also in this season. So I think it’s going to be easy for me. I can take tips from my friends,” the 35-year-old said.
Raina has played 205 games and scored 5,611 runs at an average of 32.51 including one century and 39 half-centuries. He maintained an impressive strike rate of 136.76. Currently, he is also the fourth-highest run-scorer in the league's history after Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma.
Raina was unimpressive in the previous season. The left-handed batter scored just 160 runs from 12 matches at an average of 17.77 including one half-century. He got injured towards the end and was replaced Robin Uthappa in the top order. Uthappa made use of the opportunity and proved his mettle in the big games. The Karnataka batter was roped in for Rs 3 crore by CSK whereas Raina was not picked for his base price of Rs 2 crore even when the franchise had enough to pay for him towards the end of auction.
