The Foundation -
New Zealand needed to bat out close to 100 overs to save the series opener against India in Kanpur in 2021. They were in dire straits at 128 for 6 in the 70th over when a 22-year old, Rachin Ravindra, on Test debut, joined Tom Blundell at the crease. The Indian spin trio of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel had the New Zealand batters at sea. The result, it seemed, was a foregone conclusion. However, India were to be denied what looked like a certain victory and the man who stood between them and a 1-0 lead in the series was the young Ravindra!
Ravindra showcased great grit and fight and defied the Indian spin attack. He battled with the tail to save the Test for New Zealand. Ravindra occupied the crease for nearly 30 oversand consumed as many as 91 deliveries. New Zealand played out 98 overs and managed to hold on for a draw with the last pair of Ravindra and Ajaz Patel playing out 52 deliveries between them. The innings showcased Ravindra’s temperament and was a big indicator of what was to come in the future.
A memorable World Cup
Ravindra had barely played a handful of ODIs before he was selected to represent New Zealand in the flagship event of the sport – the ICC World Cup. And he did not disappoint. Ravindra started the tournament with a bang hammering a magnificent unbeaten 123 off just 96 deliveries as New Zealand chased down England’s 282 in under 37 overs losing just one wicket in Ahmedabad! Ravindra had arrived on the world stage!
He scored a fluent 75 against India at Dharamsala before smashing an under-pressure 77-ball hundred against arch-rivals Australia at the same venue. Chasing a mammoth 389 for victory, New Zealand gave Australia a real scare and fell just six runs short of the target. Ravindra was not done yet. He blasted another ton – his third of the tournament – against Pakistan in Bengaluru powering New Zealand to their highest total against a major cricketing nation in ODI cricket!
Ravindra was the highest run-getter for New Zealand (and fourth-highest overall) in the 2023 World Cup where he piled on 578 runs in just 10 innings at a strike rate of 106.44. It was the joint-highest aggregate for a New Zealand batter in a single World Cup equalling the record of Kane Williamson (2019 World Cup in England). His three tons were also the most for a New Zealand batter in a single edition of the World Cup.
Rachin Ravindra's double-hundred against South Africa
Playing in just his fourth Test, Ravindra walked out to bat at 39 for 2 and piled on a magnificent 240 off 366 deliveries in the series opener at Mount Maunganui in February this year. It was the second double hundred by a Kiwi batter against South Africa after Stephen Fleming’s 262 in Cape Town in 2006. The home team registered 511 against a second-string South African unit and went on to win the Test by 281 runs. New Zealand also won the second Test at Hamilton and achieved a historic first series win against South Africa – they had previously lost 13 and drawn four of the 17 series against the Proteas. It was a landmark moment for New Zealand cricket and Ravindra had played his part in it.
Showcasing his Versatility – from Christchurch to Galle
Ravindra top-scored for New Zealand in the second innings in Christchurch in March against a formidable Australian attack comprising Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon. His 82 gave New Zealand the upper hand and a big chance of winning the Test as they set Australia a stiff target of 279 in the fourth innings. New Zealand had their trans-Tasman rivalsreeling at 80 for 5 before Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey produced some magic and altered the course of the encounter.
Fast forward six months. Chasing a highly improbable 275 in the series opener in Galle in September, Ravindra led a lone battle for New Zealand as he combated trial by spin from Sri Lanka and kept his team’s hopes alive till the very end. Ravindra top-scored with 92 in an innings where no other New Zealand batter crossed 30! He took the total to 209 before becoming the ninth wicket to fall.It was one of the finest innings by a New Zealand batter in Sri Lanka.
From Christchurch to Galle, Ravindra has showcased his ability to adapt to different conditions and score runs under pressure when most others have failed.
Glimpses of T20 prowess in IPL 2024
Ravindra hasn’t yet set the stage on fire in T20 cricket. He has an aggregate of just 231 runs in 21 innings for New Zealand at an average of 15.4 and strike rate of 124.9 with just one fifty. Ravindra also has very modest numbers overall in T20 cricket. However, he did show glimpses of his destructive prowess for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024. He blasted 37 off just 15 deliveries against Royal Challengers Bengaluru before hammering 46 off 20 balls against the Gujarat Titans. Ravindra’s best knock also came against arch-rivals RCB when he smashed 61 off 37 deliveries, albeit in a losing cause in Bengaluru.
The Bengaluru ton & a rare Test victory
Ravindra was the Player of the Match and the architect of New Zealand’s historic win against India in the series opener in Bengaluru last week. It was just their third Test win on Indian soil and the first since 1988! Ravindra defied a high-quality Indian attack which included the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin in their own backyard and smashed a brilliant 134 off just 157 deliveries.
His high-impact knock included 13 fours and 4 sixes and almost batted India out of the match as New Zealand piled on 402 after routing India for 46. Ravindra again maintained his cool and composure in the second innings and rescued New Zealand from a tricky 35 for 2, safely taking them to their target of 107 without any further damage.
A characteristic of his playing Bengaluru was his play against the slower bowlers. Ravindra displayed a solid technique but at the same time not hesitated from using his feet, dancing down the track and taking the attack to the spinners.
130 of his 173 runs across the two innings in Bengaluru came against spinners at a run-a-ball! These included 13 hits to the fence and four over it. The hundred in Bengaluru was followed with an invaluable fifty in the first innings on a spin-friendly track in Pune, where most other batters, including his more famous Indian counterparts have struggled.
New Zealand are in the driver’s seat in the second Test and on the verge of creating history in India. They have never won a series on Indian soil. If they achieve the impossible in the next couple of days in Pune, the efforts of a certain Rachin Ravindra would certainly not go un-noticed!
