Rachin Ravindra: New Zealand's emerging star, drawing comparisons to Yuvraj Singh, with inspirational namesake Sachin and Dravid
ICC World Cup 2023: In the ICC World Cup 2023 opener, New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra, named after cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, made a significant impact. Promoted to number 3 in the batting order, he scored an unbeaten 123, propelling New Zealand to a nine-wicket victory over defending champions England in Ahmedabad.
The 23-year-old Ravindra achieved his century in 82 deliveries, becoming the fastest New Zealand batter to reach a hundred in a men's ODI World Cup, surpassing Martin Guptill's record of 88 balls against Bangladesh in 2015. He also became New Zealand's youngest World Cup centurion. He shared an unbroken 273-run partnership with Devon Conway, who scored an unbeaten 152.
Rachin Ravindra's performance held a sense of sweet revenge, as he had watched New Zealand lose to England in the 2019 World Cup final while sitting in a Bengaluru pub. Back then, the 19-year-old Ravindra was on an annual trip to India with his father's cricket club. The final's result, determined by the boundary count-back rule, remains a topic of debate to this day.
While chasing England's target of 283 runs, Rachin Ravindra was promoted to No. 3 after the early dismissal of Will Young in the second over. He had previously showcased his batting prowess in a warm-up game against Pakistan, scoring 97 off 72 balls while filling in as an opener.
Born to Indian parents in Wellington, Rachin Ravindra made his Test debut in India two years ago, and his family has strong roots in Bengaluru, India.
Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble noted that watching Rachin Ravindra's batting reminded him of a young Yuvraj Singh. Ravindra's century in his 13th ODI was a special moment for him. "I think the first one (century) is pretty special. It was pretty cool to be able to share that with Devon, my sort of good mate. But yeah, it was a good game for us as a team," Ravindra expressed.
Regarding his promotion in the batting order, Ravindra, who has experience opening for his domestic side Wellington, shared, "That was an interesting one when Gary (Stead, NZ coach) told me (about batting at No 3). I guess I wasn't necessarily expecting it as much because we bat seriously low with (Mitchell Santner) at No 9, and he's a genuine all-rounder," he said.
"I guess it gave that license to go out and express yourself, we did it in our way, and luckily enough it worked on the day," Ravindra added during the post-match press conference.
Rachin Ravindra, who considers himself a batting all-rounder, was named the Man of the Match in the opening game against England and also contributed with his left-arm bowling, taking one wicket.
- With inputs from agencies
