Former Indian all-rounder Suresh Raina has heaped praise on the Indian cricket team for their phenomenal performance against Australia Down Under. The Men in Blue won the three-match T20I series on Tuesday (December 8th) by a scoreline of 2-1.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya received the Man of the Series award for his crucial contributions. Suresh Raina congratulated the Indian cricket team and also sent a message to Hardik.
"Congratulations #TeamIndia on the amazing series win, we only move forward from here. Super proud of you all. @hardikpandya7 way to go brother, man of the series," Suresh Raina wrote on Twitter.
Suresh Raina starred in the Indian cricket team's previous T20I series triumph Down Under
It is pertinent to note that the Indian cricket team is the only one to whitewash Australia in a three-match T20I series at home. Playing under MS Dhoni's captaincy, the Men in Blue blanked the hosts 3-0 Down Under.
Suresh Raina played a pivotal role in the victory. He hit a 34-ball 41 in the first T20I at the Adelaide Oval, and in the final T20I, the left-handed batsman's 25-ball 49 helped chase down a mammoth score of 198 in Sydney.
Much to everyone's surprise, Raina ended his international cricket career earlier this year in August. The fans expected him to don the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020. However, unfortunately, he had to return home after reaching the United Arab Emirates because of some personal reasons.
Some reports claimed that there was a rift between Suresh Raina and his franchise. However, the 2011 Cricket World Cup winner has since clarified that his relationship with CSK is still the same.
IPL 2021 will happen soon, so it will be intriguing to see if the Chennai-based franchise retains Raina ahead of the rumored mega-auction.
As far as the Indian cricket team is concerned, the visitors will now play a pink-ball practice match in Australia before facing the hosts in a day/night Test at the Adelaide Oval.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news