CHENNAI: Rachin Ravindra loves the world stage. The elegant southpaw has been New Zealand’s man for the big occasions in recent 50-over global tournaments.
Having racked up runs and finished as NZ’s highest scorer in the 2023 World Cup in India, Rachin appears to be on a mission to conquer other lands of Asian cricket in the Champions Trophy. The 25-year-old could not have asked for a better initiation to the CT; the ‘comeback man’, walking out with NZ in a precarious position in the chase, struck a well-compiled match-winning century in the victory over Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday.
His composed knock in the Group A clash put a smile on the face of Sriram Krishnamurthy, a coach who has seen Rachin grow from a player with talent to a potential superstar. The left-handed batter, who had credited Sriram for his resurgence in recent years, had worked extensively with him at different teams in NZ, before the latter moved to Chennai to take up the head coach’s role at the Super Kings Academy.
The two of them share a close bond and connect frequently with distance not being a barrier. “Rachin does not make it too big in his head. It is normal for us to think that we are playing on a much bigger stage. Sometimes, that can cripple us in terms of our mindset and how we naturally play. But with Rachin, knowing the boy, he does not get bogged down by the magnitude of the events. He approaches the games just like any other matches,” Sriram told TOI when asked how the Kiwi manages to dish out his best at the highest level.
“It allows Rachin to succeed because he does the same things that he normally does. Of course, in cricket, one cannot succeed in every game. But it is a nice coincidence that he happens to do well in ICC events,” Sriram added.
The Super Kings Academy chief coach felt that Rachin could pose a threat to the spin-heavy Indian pack in the forthcoming group match in Dubai, courtesy his ability to handle slow bowlers well. “He is a good player of spin. He had shown it during the WC in India; he had scored 80-odd (75) against India in Dharamsala. He did well in the Test series in India as well. There is every evidence that he can contribute to a healthy NZ batting lineup,” Sriram said.
“He has played in Pakistan in the last few weeks, so the ultimate challenge will be to adapt to the surface in Dubai. It will be a good test, given the unknown of the Indian bowling attack. With many left-handers in the NZ lineup, we do not know if India will use the same combination (two left-arm spinners and one chinaman).”
Coach lauds batter’s mentality
Sriram lauded Rachin, who suffered a nasty blow to his head during the tri-series in Pakistan, for working towards his comeback with “great mentality”.
“After the injury that he had, we did chat a few times. We just acknowledged that he has to be ready for a game even without much practice. He knew that he had done a lot of work over the years which stood him in good stead. He was in a good space and was not anxious that he did not have a lot of cricket under his belt,” said Sriram.
