Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Suresh Raina added a touch of humor to the IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 21.
Actually, Raina took a playful dig at former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who is known for his multiple retirements and comebacks in international cricket, while commentating on the thrilling encounter between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Ahmedabad.
Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2024 witnessed a dominant performance by KKR. After SRH posted a competitive total of 159 runs while batting first, KKR’s Venkatesh Iyer (51* off 28 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (58* off 24 balls) displayed exceptional batting prowess and guided the Men in Purple to a memorable eight-wicket with 6.2 overs to spare against the SRH in Ahmedabad.
Suresh Raina trolls Shahid Afridi during IPL 2024 Qualifier 1
With this thrilling win, KKR set the date for the IPL 2024 Final, where they will face either the SRH or the winner of the eliminator between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). The summit clash will take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 26.
Amidst KKR’s stellar performance against SRH, Suresh Raina’s humorous remark stole the spotlight. During the eighth over of KKR’s innings, the former Indian batter and commentator Aakash Chopra jokingly asked his co-commentator Raina if he would consider reversing his retirement.
In response, Raina quipped that he had no such plans, jokily stating that he is not the legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi. This added a lighthearted moment to the commentary box. The video of the hilarious moment is now going crazily viral across social media platforms.
‘Main Suresh Raina Hoon, Shahid Afridi Nahin’
In the viral video, Chopra can be clearly heard asking Raina if he has plans to unretire. To which Raina responded by saying, “Main Suresh Raina Hoon, Shahid Afridi Nahin.” And then the duo started laughing uncontrollably after trolling the former Pakistan captain during a live IPL 2024 match.
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Shahid Afridi is infamous for reversing retirements
Notably, Shahid Afridi has had a history of announcing retirements from international cricket and then making comebacks. His retirement announcements and reversals have often been the subject of jokes among cricket experts and fans, and now Raina has become the latest one.
Afridi’s retirement saga began in May 2011, when he retired from international cricket for the first time in protest against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). However, the former all-rounder later reversed his decision in October 2011.
Subsequently, Afridi announced his retirement again in 2017 but then returned to international cricket in 2018 before retiring again in May of the same year. On the other hand, Raina retired from international cricket in August 2020, moments after his good friend and legendary cricketer, MS Dhoni, announced his retirement.
However, Raina played domestic cricket before being ignored in the 2022 IPL auction. The 37-year-old batter helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) win four IPL titles before retiring from all forms of the game in 2022.