Suresh Raina has become a father for the second time as he and Priyanka welcomed a baby boy in their family. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
New Delhi:
Suresh Raina has once again become a father, this time to a baby boy. On Monday, Raina and his wife Priyanka gave birth to Rio and this is another addition to his family, having given birth to a baby girl Gracia a couple of years ago. Announcing the decision on his official Twitter handle, Suresh Raina said, "The beginning of all things – wonder, hope, possibilities and a better world! We are proud to welcome our son & Gracia’s little brother - Rio Raina. May he flows beyond boundaries, bringing peace, renewal & prosperity to everyone’s life."
Congratulations poured in for the Raina family with Chennai Super Kings, his franchise and his India and CSK team-mate Harbhajan Singh leading the tributes. CSK’s official Twitter handle read, “Kutti Thala is here! Lots of #Yellove and #WhistlePodu to @_PriyankaCRaina and @ImRaina for the newest addition to the #superfamily.” Harbhajan tweeted congratulations to the couple.
Hello Rio 💛ðŸ¦Â #Yellove #WhistlePodu https://t.co/j9fEbnwBs3
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 23, 2020
Congratulations @ImRaina and Priyanka for the baby 👦ðŸÂ¼ boy â¤ï¸Â🤗
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) March 23, 2020
Raina, who has not been part of the Indian cricket team ever since 2018, underwent a second knee surgery a couple of days ago. On the official Twitter account of the BCCI, a statement read, "Suresh Raina underwent a knee surgery where he had been facing discomfort for the last few months. The surgery has been successful and it will require him 4-6 week of rehab for recovery. We wish him a speedy recovery," the statement read.
The surgery is expected to keep the left-hander out of action for most of the 2019/20 domestic season but Raina said it was a tough call to make. "To be honest, a second knee surgery was a tough call to make because I knew it would put me off-action for a few months and I wasn't ready for it until a few weeks ago when the pain had gotten a bit much and I knew there was only one way out of this. I hope I'm up on my feet, on the field and ready to give my best very soon again," Raina wrote on his social media handle.
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Raina has featured in 193 games in the IPL and has scored 5368 runs with an average of 33.34. He is the second-highest run-getter in the Indian Premier League with only Virat Kohli being ahead of him. Kohli has scored 5412 runs in 177 games with an average of 37.84 and a strike rate of 131.61. However, Raina has been out of the national squad for quite some time. The last game that the left-handed batsman played for India was back in 2018 against England at Headingley. Raina's last T20I was also against England on July 08, 2018. In T20Is, Suresh Raina has scored 1604 runs in 78 games for India. He averages 29.16 with a strike rate of 134.79 in the shortest format of the game.
