Rachin Ravindra made a strong impact on the first day of the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 by scoring his first century against defending champions England. In a stunning display on the first day of the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup, young New Zealand sensation Rachin Ravindra achieved his maiden century against England, the defending champions.
Placed at No. 3 in the batting order due to Kane Williamson’s absence, the 23-year-old left his mark by crafting an unbeaten 123 runs from a mere 93 deliveries. His partnership with Devon Conway extinguished England’s hopes of staging a comeback, propelling New Zealand to a triumphant start in the Cricket World Cup.
Notably, Rachin’s name is an amalgamation of two legendary Indian cricket batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Rahul Dravid’s often unnoticed sense of humor shone through as he engaged in some playful banter regarding the batting style of New Zealand’s emerging star, Rachin Ravindra.
Dravid humorously suggested that Ravindra’s batting seems to carry a substantial influence from Sachin Tendulkar and less of himself. The 23-year-old Ravindra, of Indian heritage, delivered an outstanding century in New Zealand’s inaugural Cricket World Cup match against England.
Interestingly, his name “Rachin” is a combination of the ‘Ra’ from Rahul and the ‘chin’ from Sachin, a clever nod to the legendary Indian cricketers.
Did you know about that? “Watching him bat yesterday, he hit five sixes… Maybe it was more ‘chin’ that was there. Not sure, I hit the ball off the square at all.”
“I couldn’t hit the ball off the square at all. Maybe the Sachin in it helped him certainly,” Dravid joked about himself and made people laugh. He also liked Ravindra’s innings.
The head coach of India watched Rachin Ravindra’s innings and was very impressed
“Yeah, bits and pieces of it. I thought both of them played really well. Obviously got New Zealand off to a really flying start in the tournament and looked like the wicket really became a good one as the game went on. And yeah, both of them batted really well.”
In a 2021 Test match in Kanpur, Rachin, originally a tail-ender, batted for over an hour to help his team secure a draw on a slow-turning pitch.
“Yeah, I think he played a Test match against us in Kanpur and I do remember him because he saved the Test match,” Dravid said with an admiration in his tone.
Under Rahul Dravid’s guidance, the Indian cricket team will participate in its first match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup against Australia on Sunday.
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