Was disappointed when Dhoni was removed from captaincy: Raina

Photo: AFP

Kolkata: He was one of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's trusted lieutenants during the best days of Chennai Super Kings and not only does Suresh Raina "miss" his captain but also feels disappointed in the manner he was removed from Rising Pune Supergiant's captaincy.

"I was disappointed. He has done so well for the country as well as for the IPL teams. He should be respected every time. It's about not me saying, it's the world saying," Raina told PTI in an interview.

Dhoni has so far scored only 61 runs in five games with a strike-rate of 87 and that has invited criticism from all quarters.

"Having shared the dressing room with him (for India and CSK), you know what goes through when one faces hardships. He (Dhoni) should be respected as a player. In any profession, be it as a player or a journalist, you need to be respected. Even a player, however short his career span may be, wants to earn respect."

Asked whether it's affecting Dhoni, he said: "I don't think. He's back among runs. Hope he will do better after two-three matches. We have only played five matches. After sometime the picture will be clear. He should bat up the order and bat long. He's a world class finisher."

Raina termed his eight-year stint with CSK as the "best experience".

"The time I spent with Chennai Super Kings will always remain special. We have won so many trophies, be it IPL or Champions League T20. When I was very young, it gave me a great learning opportunity by being among all the legends," Raina, who was the man-of-the-match in their maiden IPL win over Mumbai Indians in 2010, said.

On a different note, Raina seemed hopeful that Virat Kohli's Indian team will be able to retain Champions Trophy won in 2013.

Raina said that Kohli's aggression is his biggest plus point.

"Kohli has done really well in that department (passion and intensity). I feel he will lift the Champions Trophy for India this time. He knows how to channelise his emotion into aggression," Raina said.

In order to get winning results, one needs to full support from the team and he has got that.

"Everyone supports him on the field. All the players like to play that way. If he starts scoring runs, I don't think anyone can stop him from winning the Champions Trophy. He has done well in Test and one-day cricket. Now it's time to go to England and do what MS did in ODIs (in 2013)," the Champions Trophy winner said.