'Is Sachin Tendulkar Not Your Favourite?': Yuvraj Singh's Banter On Suresh Raina's India Debut

Former India player Suresh Raina revealed how Yuvraj Singh pulled his leg during his India debut. A young Raina played his first game for the senior Indian team in an ODI vs Sri Lanka in 2005. His maiden game saw him scoring a golden duck. While it was a forgettable start for Raina in international cricket, his debut in front of his teammates was rather a good one. Raina had to introduce himself to the Indian players after joining the squad and Yuvraj Singh made it all comfortable for him with a banter.

In a recent interview with JioCinema, Raina revealed that Yuvraj Singh asked him to name his favourite player. Given the Uttar Pradesh-born took the name of Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj teased him by asking if Sachin Tendulkar was not his favourite player.

"I got my India cap in 2005 from Rahul Bhai. I had to give a speech in front of Paaji, Viru Paa, Dada, VVS Laxman, Zaheer Bhai, Ashu Bhai, Anil Bhai, Yuvi Paa, Bhajju Paa, MS Dhoni had recently joined the team and Irfan Pathan. So, I started the usual speech but was stopped midway and asked to name my favourite player," said Raina.

"I said I idolize Rahul bhai a lot so Yuvi got on to me immediately and pulled my leg saying 'The world's best batsman and God of Cricket is sitting here, is he not your favourite?' I clarified that Sachin Paaji was also one of the favourites but I had posters of Dravid on my wall," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket India Cricket Team Suresh Raina Yuvraj Singh Sachin Tendulkar Rahul Dravid