Suresh Raina has finally spoken out on his decision to leave Indian Premier League (IPL) bubble and return to India just three weeks prior to the start of IPL 2020 in UAE. Raina, vice-captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and one of their most dependable batsman in the IPL, returned to India just over a week after reaching UAE for IPL 2020. Raina and Co were to begin their pre-season camp for IPL 2020 on August 28 but a number of COVID-19 positive results, which included Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad, forced the team to stay in quarantine for a longer period. Amidst all that, Raina had returned to India sparking reports of a possible rift in the CSK camp. Suresh Raina’s Relative Killed in Pathankot Robbery Attack: Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh Condoles the Death, Orders Probe.

Raina, however, cleared the air about any rift within the CSK camp and also made light work of the heavy criticism that came his way from team owner and former BCCI president N Srinivasan. The 33-year-old also denied any reports that he will not be participating in IPL 2020 and instead said that the door was still open for him to fly to UAE and join the CSK camp ahead of the start of the T20 league tournament.

The 33-year-old opened up on the reasons for his sudden decision to return to India after leaving the IPL bubble in UAE. Raina said that he was worried about his young family and feared what will happen to them if he was infected with the virus. “It was a personal decision and I had to come back for my family. There was something that needed to be addressed immediately on the home front,” said Raina in an exclusive chat with Cricbuzz.

“I have a young family back home and I was concerned about the fact that if something happened to me, unka kya hoga?(what will happen to them). My family is most important to me and I am really concerned for them during these times.”

Raina also added that apart from his fears for his young family, the robbery attack on his relatives and the murder of his uncle also played a role in his decision to return to the country abruptly. “The Pathankot incident was horrible and has really been very disturbing for everyone in our family. And it was my responsibility to come back and take care of them,” said Raina, lovingly called Chinna Thala by CSK Fans. “But since I've returned, I've been in quarantine here. So, I still have to go meet my parents and my bua who are all in great distress.

His uncle Ashok Kumar was killed in a horrific robbery incident at their residence in the Pathankot district of Punjab. Raina’s 52-year-old uncle suffered head injuries after the attack and died on the spot while his aunt and two cousins suffered severe injuries. One of the cousins succumbed to his injuries and passed away at a private hospital on Monday night. Raina had also tweeted that his aunt was still in critical condition from the incident and was on life support.

Raina, who is the second-highest run-scorer in IPL history, also denied any rift with other members of the CSK squad or with boss Srinivasan. The former BCCI chief and CSK owner had come out hard on Raina for his decision to suddenly pull out of IPL 2020 before retracing his comments. But Raina refused to see it in any way more than a ‘father scolding his son.’

“He (Srinivasan) is like a father figure to me and he's always stood by me and is close to my heart. He treats me like his younger son and am sure a lot of what he said was taken out of context,” said Raina. Ek baap apne bacche ko daant sakta hai(A father can scold his son). He didn't know the real reasons for me leaving when he gave those comments. Now he's been informed about them and he even sent me a message thereafter. We've chatted about it and both CSK and I just want to get over with it,” Raina added.

He also gave his and CSK fans a glimmer of hope by stating that the door was still open for his return to the CSK camp ahead of the start of the IPL 2020. “You never know you might see me in the camp there again,” Raina said while also informing that he was training even in quarantine at home following his return from UAE.

The IPL begins from September 19 in UAE and will run until November 10 when the final will be played. Players participating in the franchise league have to be inside the team bubble. Players, who arrive later, will have to be in quarantine as per requirement before they can enter the bubble.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2020 01:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).