MS Dhoni best captain India ever had, says Suresh Raina

Bengaluru, February 13: Chennai Super Kings talisman Suresh Raina hailed captain MS Dhoni's impact on the Indian team and the confidence he brings to CSK ahead of Indian Premier League.

Vivo IPL 13 will see CSK skipper MS Dhoni return to cricketing action for the first time since the World Cup last year.

"I think we have the best captain who has changed the Indian team like anything. Now we have that same aura in our dressing room," Raina said on 'The Super Kings show' on Star Sports Tamil.

The 38-year-old Dhoni has retired from Test cricket, but his future in the limited overs formats is a subject of intense speculation.

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The two-time World Cup-winning captain took a break from cricket after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup in England. He is set to be back in action at the IPL, where he will captain the CSK.

With three restricted stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai finally being reopened, Raina urged the fans to fill the venue in every CSK home game.

"We have all the seats available. Hopefully, we'll have more fans now so that there is it will be more energy on the field," the 33-year-old Raina, a former India batsman, said.

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Raina, who last played for India in 2018, also expressed his excitement about the prospect of playing with CSK's latest acquisitions.

"This year we have a lot of new talent in our team. Piyush (Chawla) is there, then we have Hazelwood, Sam Curran, Sai Kishore from Tamil Nadu, he has been bowling really well for them. So, I think we have a lot of mixture of youngsters and seniors."