Rachin Ravindra, a name which rhymes with Sachin and Dravid? Yes, you are right – his father actually named him after Indian cricketers – Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Today we will take you through his story on how he became a cricketer for New Zealand’s senior team and what inspired him to become a professional cricketer. Born to Indian parents in Wellington, Rachin has a strong connection to cricket. His family is from Bengaluru and he made his Test debut in India two years ago.
Rachin Ravindra’s Bengaluru based father was a big fan of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. After Rachin was born, Rachin’s father took “Ra” from Rahul and “chin” from Sachin and combined the two to come up with the name “Rachin”. (Watch: Joe Root Hits Insane Reverse Ramp For 80m Six Off Trent Boult During England vs New Zealand)
Well played rachin ravindra 97(72)
pic.twitter.com/bO7FrgDHQr
INDIAN_JADEJA (@indian_jadeja08) September 29, 2023
Rachin watched the 2019 World Cup as a fanboy and now he became one of the reasons why New Zealand performed so brilliantly against England in the opener of the 2023 World Cup.
“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,” he told PTI.
“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 young Indian-origin cricketer’s goal of playing for New Zealand one day was crushed by the game’s conclusion in 2019 final, but his drive to do so only became stronger.
FIFTY FOR RACHIN RAVINDRA….!!!
Fifty from just 36 balls against defending champions England while chasing 283 runs – what a knock, he is just 23-years-old. pic.twitter.com/yu18Y4fuYN
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 5, 2023
Did he think then that he will be part of the 2023 batch?
“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,” he said.
The cricket tours in India with his father will come in very handy, the young New Zealand cricketer believes. He plays for Wellington in New Zealand but he batted at number 3 for New Zealand in their first game of the 2023 World Cup against England.