Picture Credit: DTNext.in
Chennai Super Kings' batting mainstay Suresh Raina has received flack on social media for saying that he embraces the Chennai culture as he is "also Brahmin." The left-handed cricketer, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, made the remark on live television when he was invited to join the commentary during the opening game of the fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League. The season opener was being played between Lyca Kovai Kings and Salem Spartans on Monday.
While the match was underway, a commentator asked Raina how he embraced the south Indian culture during his stint with the MS Dhoni-led CSK. His question came given that Raina was seen wearing a veshti, dancing and whistling to the Super Kings' catchphrase “whistle podu” or blow the whistle. However, his remark hasn't gone down too well with the netizens since it has casteist connotations.
"I think, I am also Brahmin. I have been playing since 2004 in Chennai, I love the culture… I love my teammates. I have played with Anirudha Srikanth, Badri (Subramaniam Badrinath), Bala Bhai (L Balaji)… I think you need to learn something good from there. We have a good administration, we have the license to explore ourselves. I love the culture there, and I’m lucky to be part of CSK. Hopefully, we will play more matches there," Raina can be heard saying.
Check out the video of the incident here:
Here are some of the responses to his comment
If MS Dhoni doesn’t play next IPL season, I will also retire: Suresh Raina
Raina, who had earlier announced his retirement from international cricket on the same day as Dhoni, recently also made a big statement with regards to his IPL career. The 34-year-old said that if Dhoni doesn't play in the next IPL season, he will also announce his retirement. While Dhoni is a retired international star, he is set to resume his leadership role at CSK once the second leg of the fourteenth edition gets underway in the United Arab Emirates. IPL 2021 was expected to finish in May but was forced to be suspended after several Coronavirus cases emerged inside bio-secure bubbles of the franchises.