BENGALURU: Each time New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra is asked about his Indian lineage or his Bengaluru connection, he speaks about how special his parents’ hometown is. There is no denying the 24-year-old has a deep-rooted connection with the city, particularly the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
During the 50-over World Cup last year, he came up with a swashbuckling century (108) against Pakistan at the venue; and on Friday, he showcased why he is an exciting package of class and craft.
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On a day when over 450 runs came off the strip, Rachin’s 157-ball-134 (13×4; 4×6) was highlighted by quick but cautious scoring. With pacers Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah keeping it tight, Rachin concentrated on playing them off. It was the spinners he went after.
He brought up his 50 by smashing the ball over bowler Kuldeep Yadav’s head and for his first maximum, he launched a floater from Ashwin into the stands beyond deep midwicket. Fittingly he brought up his century with a boundary off Ashwin.
By the time he was dismissed by Kuldeep, for 258 minutes he had put up an exhibition of game awareness, nimble footwork and control.
Rachin hasn’t learned to adapt to Indian conditions overnight. Instead, it has been ingrained in him by his father Ravindra Krishnamurthy, who was also his first coach. That has led to Rachin spending time in India adapting to the conditions and circumstances.
In the build-up to the World Cup, he travelled with his home club, the Wellington-based Hutt Hawks, to Bengaluru and Anantapur. Before the Black Caps’ subcontinent tour beginning with the washed-out Test against Afghanistan, Rachin worked at the Chennai Super Kings Academy. The allrounder, who was roped in by the IPL franchise last season, went through strenuous batting drills during his time in Chennai.
Ravindra, who witnessed his son’s second Test century, gave an insight into what Rachin worked at the Academy.
“Rachin trained at the academy for about a week. In 40 degrees Celsius, in that humidity, he practiced on a gravel kind of surface. The ball is jumping and turning, dust is coming off, and you are drenched in sweat. I mean nothing can get worse than that. This century, I think, is because of that preparation,” he explained.
Concurring with his father, Rachin, who showcased a remarkable temperament as wickets tumbled at the other end, said “It was an invaluable experience. I thought it’d be the best thing for me to go and have a few days of training there in more realistic conditions than what we’d have doctored in New Zealand. I
“I was lucky enough, the CSK guys sorted me with 4-5 good days of training on red and black soil wickets. That helped me sort of shore up some game plans and work on a few positions that I wanted to.”
