We all remember Suresh Raina — the fearless southpaw, the heart of CSK, and the man who made finishing games look effortless. IPL of the Chennai Super Kings, a World Cup champion, and someone who has faced the most ferocious bowler in the most unforgiving conditions imaginable. But what is the reality, when the lights go off, the stadium fades, and it is just him, by himself? In an episode of Who’s The Boss? Raina shared something that surprised fans to their core – he doesn’t sleep alone. Considering everything he has faced on the biggest stages of cricket and survived tumultuous battles, this was just such an honest and relatable admission.
More Than Just a Cricketer: Raina’s Quiet Battle with Anxiety
Raina’s admission, “I have never slept alone. There is a different fear I have, which isn’t just about idiosyncratic sleeping habits. It shows the vulnerability that is so often hidden in sports—the most commonly overlooked aspect of psychological struggles that athletes face, which is anxiety. We see the successes and celebrations, but we often do not see the fears that athletes contend with as well. Raina has indicated that he shared rooms with teammates like Ravindra Jadeja during tours, not as a preference, but as a necessity.
The urge for closeness, even when the occasion is sleep, shows the mental exertion or emotional stress of living in a challenging environment, which players tend to find themselves in. When it comes to feeling watched, observed, second-guessed, or judged at every moment, realizing that one of your teammates is sleeping less than an arm’s length away does, at least for some days, provide a very minute sense of comfort. For Raina, it was less about cricket and more about coping.
From Gully Cricket to IPL Stardom: The Journey Seen Through Two Lenses
In that same show, Raina’s wife Priyanka provided some good context from the sidelines. Since observing him as a boy playing cricket on the street, she was able to see the difference between the commercial glamour of cricket and the realness of being inside a cricket circle.
As a fan, we play professional cricket in our heads through highlights: winning games, our athletes living their best lives, branded actors, or rock stars. Behind all the glitz and glamour is extensive travel, injury fears, and, as Raina said, also a fight outside of the sport, which Raina shared was his demons. The difference is significant. They have their challenges too – masks behind sunglasses and smiles.
Not Just Teammates — The Brotherhood That Holds It Together
Raina’s story could never be only about cricket – it was about the bonds of belongingness that surrounded him wherever he went. Sharing a room with Jadeja every tour time, glimpses of the energy from Harbhajan Singh’s return for CSK 2018, it was fundamentally about brotherhood. That 2018 season was a resurrection for the team, but for the friendship that encompassed it all. He knew that even when the world didn’t believe, the brotherhood in the dressing room would always have assurance. Cricket was a journey with friends, on and off the field.
Suresh Raina’s honest conversation about being afraid to sleep alone may seem small, but it highlights the invisible load that athletes sometimes carry. Remember, strength is not only about hitting sixes or bowling Yorkers – sometimes strength is facing your fears, and going through the tough stuff despite being afraid every single day.
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