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'Go and remove this T-shirt, do you even know what's written on it?': When an angry Rahul Dravid scolded Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina made his India debut in 2005 under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid, and the former India batsman narrated an incident when the usually calm and composed Dravid gave the youngster a piece of his mind.
Rahul Dravid is known for his calm demeanour but in the heat of the moment, even the coolest of people lose their temper. That is exactly what happened with the former India captain when he saw a young Suresh Raina sporting an objectionable T-shirt while on India duty.
Raina made his India debut in 2005 under the captaincy of Dravid, and the former India batsman narrated an incident when the usually calm and composed Dravid gave the youngster a piece of his mind.
"He was the captain of Team India and it was my first tour. I was wearing a t-shirt that had logo. So he said you need to go and remove this T-shirt. Do you even know what's written on it? I said 'No Rahul bhai. But I think it's bad whatever it is. So I quickly changed it and that day I realised that when you're playing for India, you need to take a lot of responsibility," Raina told News24Sports.
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"That's the day I got to know that this person is a behemoth, is disciplined and a captain with character. It feels nice when you travel with such people. From that incident, you need to realise how big a deal it is when you represent the country."
Raina revealed another incident of how he was welcomed into the Indian team. Legend has it that the Indian team, then full of pranksters such as Yuvraj Singh and others, would trick the newcomers into touching Sachin Tendulkar's feet. Raina too shared a funny incident of his first conversation with Yuvraj in the Indian dressing room.
"Rahul bhai was the captain then. Yuvi pa asked me 'who is your favourite cricketer?' That time, the team has Rahul bhai, Sachin paaji, Viru bhai, Anil bhai... all these big cricketers. I was a fan of Rahul bhai so he asked me 'Don't you like me?'. So it was more about getting to know the senior players. They make the newcomers feel welcome and comfortable. So it was a pleasant experience and playing with him was a dream come true," Raina added.
