Bengaluru: New Zealand every time Rachin Ravindra When asked about his Indian heritage and his connection to Bengaluru, he talks about how special his parents’ hometown is. There is no denying that the 24-year-old has a deep-rooted connection with the city, especially the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
During last year’s 50-over World Cup, he scored a thrilling century (108) against Pakistan on the pitch. And on Friday he showed why he is an exciting package of class and skill.
India vs New Zealand Test: Focus returns to Indian batsmen after high-scoring day
On a day when over 450 runs were scored from the strip, Rachin’s 157-ball-134 (13×4; 4×6) was highlighted by quick, cautious runs. With pacers Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah holding tight, Rachin concentrated on playing them out. It was the spinners he chased.
He smashed the ball over bowler Kuldeep Yadav’s head to get to 50 and then fired Ashwin’s floater into the stands over deep midwicket for his first maximum. Fittingly, he started his century by hitting Ashwin’s boundary.
He displayed game awareness, quick footwork and control for 258 minutes until he was dismissed by Kuldeep.
Rachin did not learn to adapt to the Indian environment overnight. Instead, it was imprinted on him by his father Ravindra Krishnamurthy, who was also his first coach. This led Rachin to spend time in India adapting to the conditions and circumstances.
In preparation for the World Cup, he traveled to Bengaluru and Anantapur with his home club, the Wellington-based Hutt Hawks. Prior to the Black Caps’ tour of the subcontinent, which began with a Test against Afghanistan, Rachin was with the Chennai Super Kings Academy. The all-rounder, who joined the IPL franchise last season, underwent intense batting training while in Chennai.
Ravindra, who witnessed his son’s second Test century, gave an insight into what Rachin has been up to at the academy.
“Rachin trained at the academy for about a week. In 40 degrees Celsius and humidity, he practiced on gravel-like surfaces. The ball jumps and spins, dust flies, and you get drenched in sweat. I mean, there’s nothing worse than that. “I think this century is thanks to that preparation,” he explained.
“It was an invaluable experience,” said his father Rachin, who showed remarkable temperament while the wicket was rolling at the other end. I thought it would be best to go there and train for a few days in more realistic conditions than I did in New Zealand. me
“I was lucky, the CSK guys sorted me out for 4-5 days of good training on red and black dirt wickets, which helped me tighten up my game plan and work on a few positions I wanted. .”
