Last year this time, the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup was happening in India and Rachin Ravindra emerged as a breakout star due to his easy-going batting, which also included a hundred against Pakistan in Bengaluru, the city his family hails from. Cut to now, and Rachin is again the toast of the cricketing world through 134 – his second Test hundred – and 39 not out earning him the Player of the Match award in New Zealand’s first Test win in India since 1988 through an eight-wicket victory at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Rachin cited the importance of taking care of their positions to play shots while playing in India as the reason behind his success in Bengaluru. “I guess it’s a combination of both (form and preparation). As long as I have clarity of what needs to be done and I know what my plan is, it’s great.”
“Also having the choice of being able to move forward and back, wasn’t trying to take the attack to them but taking care of my positions which is important in this part of the world. I wouldn’t say I am looking to attack but I’m hoping to get into good positions that allow me to score.”
“It’s just hopefully the way I move allows me to score in different areas. It’s not about getting the boundary every time but also about rotating the strike and we speak about that in the team. It’s important for us and hopefully that left-right combination frustrates them a little bit. I guess I’m a natural stroke-maker, even in white-ball cricket so it’s nice to bring that into the Test arena,” said Rachin after the match ended.
Before embarking on tours of Sri Lanka and India, Rachin had a week-long preparation at the Chennai Super Kings high-performance academy in Chennai under the eyes of coach Sriram Krishnamurthy, who was also his coach during the youngster’s formative years at Wellington.
“Preparation does help. When you’ve got six Tests in a row you’re always looking to do something extra. Lucky enough it all worked out today. I was trying to get a read of different surfaces, red roil and black soil, and seeing what sort of guard I can stand on for different kinds of bowlers. Nets every single day, net bowlers coming in, all that was invaluable experience. Very grateful for those guys putting it on,” he added.
Rachin signed off by summing his emotions around doing great in Bengaluru, especially with his father Ravindra Krishnamurthy in attendance. “It’s a nice city, and a nice wicket to bat on. So the odds are in my favour. Whenever I play in Bangalore it’s quite nice to have the support. My phone starts blowing up. The fans are great too, I love the support. It’s nice having dad and close family here, it always makes it special.
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