MS Dhoni reveals the one thing he would never do with Suresh Raina

Former India captain MS Dhoni has revealed that he would never choose Suresh Raina as his bike-riding partner because he can't stay still and keeps moving, especially when he sees a truck on the road.

Dhoni and Raina were teammates for many years for India and in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The duo shared a number of memorable partnerships for the Men in Blue in the middle-order and also enjoyed plenty of success in the IPL.

Chennai fans lovingly refer to them Dhoni and Raina as 'Thala' and 'China Thala' (thala means head or leader in Tamil). However, speaking on the latest episode of 'Tread Talks' of Eurogrip Tyres, the former CSK captain stated that he would never have Raina as his bike-riding partner. Asked about the one thing he would never do with his long-time teammate, Dhoni replied (as quoted by The Times of India):

"In the sense, you know, to put it very simply, in a motorcycle, unlike a car, you know, whether it's your fault or not, if there's an accident or if you fall, you will get hurt and most of the athletes, they are very worried about their joints, especially knees and elbows.

"Most of the players, they stay away from it. But people who have sat with me on a bike and we have been on a ride, I can pick one who I would not, you know, take as a companion and that would be Suresh Raina because, you know, he starts moving. So, if he sees a truck, you know, getting close, he starts to move along," the 43-year-old went on to explain.

Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in 2020, will be seen in action in IPL 2025. He was retained by Chennai Super Kings as an uncapped player for ₹4 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.

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A glance at Dhoni and Raina's batting stats for CSK

Raina and Dhoni are the top two leading run-getters for Chennai Super Kings in T20 cricket. The former amassed 5,529 runs in 200 matches at an average of 33.10 and a strike rate of 138.91, with two hundreds and 38 fifties.

As for Dhoni, he has scored 5,118 runs at an average of 39.06 and a strike rate of 139.45, with 23 half-centuries and a best of 84*. Under the keeper-batter, Chennai Super Kings went on to win the IPL a record-equaling five times.