Happy Birthday Suresh Raina: 5 must-know facts about the prolific India & CSK batter

Former India international batter Suresh Raina severely impacts Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, he could play for a different team in IPL 2022, especially his new home franchise in Lucknow. Also, it could be his final season in the IPL, having turned 35. As he celebrates his 35th birthday on Saturday, we present his five must-know facts.

Battled bullying during childhood
He happens to be a real-life warrior, having reportedly battled bullying during his childhood days. While travelling by train and during his hostel days in Lucknow, he was supposedly a victim of bullying, beaten by hockey sticks. He even apparently contemplated harming himself at one point but battled it through and came out strong.

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A Bollywood singer
Yes, you read that right. Many of you might not be aware of this, but Raina has decent singing skills as he went on to sing a song in Bollywood. For the 2015 movie Meeruthiya Gangsters, Raina sang the song Tu Mili Sab Mila. He was convinced by film producer Shoeb Ahmed, who also happens to be his friend and his wife, Priyanka Raina. Watch the video here.

A vocational chef
Raina also reportedly has decent cooking skills. It was during his stay at his Lucknow sports hostel when he learned the skills. He had also revealed that he has a separate kitchen where he tries various new dishes and cooks for his family at home. He and Ambatai Rayudu were once seen preparing biriyani for CSK players.

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Friends with MS Dhoni
It might not be entirely unknown, but Raina shares an extremely close friendship with Dhoni. Their company happens to be so tight that they both announced their international retirement on the same day, while it is likely that both will also call time on their IPL career together.

Mixed fortunes on debut
Raina faced mixed fortunes on his international debuts. While he was dismissed for a duck in the One-Day International (ODI) debut, he scored a century on his Test debut. As for his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut, he was unbeaten on three, while later, he became the first T20I centurion for India.