Who is Rachin Ravindra, the New Zealand all-rounder of Indian-origin

Rachin Ravindra

Left-handed all-rounder Rachin Ravindra scored a sensational unbeaten knock of 123 runs from just 96 balls, which helped New Zealand win the inaugural match of the ICC World Cup 2023 against England on October 5.

Ravindra was born on November 18, 1999, in Wellington, to Indian parents. His father Ravi Krishnamurthy migrated to New Zealand in the 1990s; he was a club cricketer.

Krishnamurthy, a huge fan of both Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, named him Rachin by combining both their names.

The all-rounder who is also a nifty left-arm spinner was recognised for his talent at a young age and played U-19 and New Zealand A side, before he made the national team.

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Ravindra has a strike rate of around 100 in the short formats and his consistent performance earned him his international debut for New Zealand in 2021 (for T20I). Later the same year, the Indian-origin cricketer made his Test debut against India.

Recounting his dream journey, he told news agency PTI about the night of July 14, 2019, when New Zealand lost to England in the ODI World Cup final. He was at a Bengaluru pub at the time and remembered feeling more resilient about representing New Zealand soon.

“It is actually quite a story. My dad takes a bunch of age group boys to India (annually) and we were in Bangalore on a senior trip. We were watching the final (2019) in a stock exchange bar. I watched the whole final. It was unbelievable and such a rollercoaster experience with the high and lows of the game. Having Indian supporters around us was pretty cool. It is an experience I will never forget,” the rising star said.

Cut to this year, not only have his dreams come true, but Rachin Ravindra is also counted among the fastest-rising cricketers in New Zealand at present.

Commenting on it, he said: “It has been a great ride. You always think one day you might get a chance. Being a 19-year-old at that time, few years into professional cricket, you have those dreams to be part of a World Cup. It is pretty cool how it has come to fruition.”