Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina to make acting debut in Tamil films

Chennai, July 05: Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina is set to make his acting debut in a Tamil film under the production of Dream Knight Stories (DKS) banner.

Taking to their Instagram handle, DKS shared a video, announcing the arrival of Suresh Raina, affectionately known as ‘Chinna Thala’ by the Chennai Super Kings fans.

The video featured Raina entering a cricket stadium with fans cheering in large numbers. As per the announcement video, the film is expected to be based on cricket.

It is directed by Logan and is produced by D Saravana Kumar under the banner of DKS.

While sharing the video, the makers wrote, “Welcoming Chinna Thala @sureshraina3 on board for #DKSProductionNo1!”

The makers have not revealed the details of the movie yet.

Indian cricketer Shivam Dube, who plays the role of a pinch hitter for the Chennai Super Kings, officially unveiled the name of the production house and its logo.

Raina is one of the most loved figures in Chennai, owing to his impeccable performance in the Chennai Super Kings franchise.

Raina is considered one of the best middle-order batters produced by India and was the first Indian player to have a century across all formats of the game.

In 322 international matches, Raina has scored 7,988 runs at an average of 32.87 and a strike rate of over 92. He scored seven centuries and 48 fifties in 291 innings, with the best score of 120.

The left-handed batter won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013 with Men in Blue.

His knocks of 34* against Australia in the 2011 WC quarterfinals and 36* against Pakistan in the semis are two of the most memorable clutch knocks by a middle-order batter on a big stage.

Raina also represented CSK and Gujarat Lions (2016-2017) in the Indian Premier League. He is the fifth-highest run-scorer of all time in league history with 5,528 runs in 205 matches at an average of 32.51 and a strike rate of over 136.73.

He scored a century and 39 fifties in his IPL career, with the best score of 100*. For his consistency across seasons, he is also known as the ‘Mr IPL’. He has won four IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings.