10 Players MS Dhoni backed but Virat Kohli didn't in Tests

9. Suresh Raina

It’s no secret that Dhoni had immense faith in Suresh Raina’s prowess. After all, the southpaw can deliver in all three departments. He has taken the best of bowlers to cleaners and his ability to chip in with handy off-spin bowling made him an even greater asset. Not to forget, the talented cricketer has also changed games by creating magic on the field.

Owing to this, Raina played regularly when Dhoni held the position at the helm. However, the left-handed batsman didn’t enjoy a great run in Test matches. Besides a century on debut, Raina doesn’t have much to show. Nevertheless, he was always around the Test team. However, things changed when Kohli took over as Test captain.

In fact, Raina played his last Test match in Kohli’s maiden assignment as Test captain – the 2014-15 tour of Australia. Notably, the Chennai Super Kings star didn’t either play a lot of ODI and T20I cricket under the current skipper. His last outing in Team India colours came in 2018, and a couple of years later, he announced retirement from international cricket.