MS Dhoni was not getting tired, his fitness level was great: Suresh Raina on suspended IPL training camp

India and Chennai Super Kings batsman Suresh Raina said he wishes the Indian Premier League (IPL) gets underway soon so that people can see how prepared MS Dhoni is for competitive cricket.

Suresh Raina, who has been an integral member of Chennai Super Kings over the years, said MS Dhoni did not get tired even after battling for long hours at the CSK training camp.

Notably, Suresh Raina along with MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay and Piyush Chawala were part of the pre-season training camp in Chennai that was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. IPL 2020 has missed the April-May window as the T20 league was suspended until further notice due to the virus outbreak.

MS Dhoni has not played competitive cricket and speculations are rife over his international future but Suresh Raina believes his CSK skipper has been working hard to get back into action.

"The best thing was, Rayudu, myself, Mahi bhai and Murali were batting in a group and Mahi bhai bats for long hours when he is in Chennai for about 2 - 4 hours. But this time he was just not getting tired of batting. He was doing his gym in the morning, followed by batting for 3 hours in the evening," Suresh Raina told Star Sports during Cricket Connected show.

"When you spend the day at the nets, from gym workouts to fielding workouts to batting then the next morning it leads to some stiffness in the body. We are that stage when the body has become a little slower and you have to put in the extra effort and work for 5 hours for a 3 hour training so that you can play a 4 hour match without getting tired.

"The first few days he took it lightly and just focused on going to the gym but he was playing the shots beautifully and his fitness level was great and he was not getting tired.

"His preparations were different this time, I have played with him over the years with the national side and IPL getting ready but it was different this time, so I just hope the matches can start quickly then everyone can see how well prepared he is and see what I saw myself live in the two months of camp that we had. When someone works hard, then the prayers and blessings find their way to them."

Earlier, CSK bowling coach Laxmipathy Balaji, speaking to indiatoday.in, also said MS Dhoni was looking fit and was getting ready to play IPL 2020.

Dhoni has always given me the license to bat freely: Raina

Meanwhile, Suresh Raina shed light on how MS Dhoni helped his game evolve, saying that the World Cup-winning captain would give him a 'warning' if he feels there is a need to change but that the final call is always left to the left-hander.

"For whatever time we have played, my USP has been that MS Dhoni has given me the license to bat freely and he always knew my capability. Whatever strengths I have in my game and whenever things were going great for me, if I needed to tweak something, he would also slowly give me a warning and tell me what the results could be if there is a change in the strategy and then he would leave the final call to me.

"He would not try to change anything but he would let you know the outcome/result and how the situation of the team will be. So, he is also covering my batting and he is also telling me where the team can be. This allows me to make a compact decision," Raina said.