Minutes after former Indian skipper MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday evening, his teammate Suresh Raina followed suit and announced his permanent departure from international cricket as well.

"It was nothing but lovely playing with you, @mahi7781. With my heart full of pride, I choose to join you in this journey. Thank you India. Jai Hind!" Raina had written on his Instagram account. Speaking about his retirement, Raina reportedly mentioned that he and Dhoni hugged and cried following the announcement of their decision and then sat with their teammates and spoke about their careers. However, people were left surprised by Raina's decision to bid farewell to the game right after the former skipper. Claiming that it was pre-planned, Raina explained why he and Dhoni had chosen that particular day (August 15) to announce their news. "We had already made up our minds to retire on Saturday (August 15). Dhoni’s jersey number is 7 and mine is 3 – put it together and it makes 73. And on August 15, India completed 73 years of independence, so there couldn't have been a better day," he reportedly stated.

"I knew Dhoni would announce his retirement upon reaching Chennai, so I was ready. I, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar and Karn Sharma reached Ranchi on 14th with the chartered plane, and picked up Mahi bhai and Monu Singh. After announcing our retirement, we hugged and cried a lot. I, Piyush, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, and Karn sat together after that, talked about our careers and our relationship. We partied during the night. Everyone has to go one day. We don't want anything but only respect," Raina further added. MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina will be seen on field during the IPL 2020 tournament set to happen in UAE starting from September 19.