NZ’s Ravindra is living up to his potential and will be battling it out with India’s Virat Kohli for the leading run-getter’s tag on Sunday
NZ’s Rachin Ravindra during his century v South Africa. Pics/AFP
Both Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar would be proud of Rachin Ravindra for the way he’s shaping his career. Named by his father after the combination of the duo’s first names, Ravindra, 25, has been gradually living up to the potential.
He was eager to make a mark on his first tour of Pakistan, but unfortunately, an injury to his forehead while attempting a catch in an ODI game in Lahore kept him out for a fortnight. He also missed the opening game of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan, but made a grand return by striking a superb century against Bangladesh. Then, his sojourn to Dubai to face India was not as successful, but the moment he returned to Pakistan for the semi-final, he struck his second century of the tournament.
After the win over Proteas, his former captain Kane Williamson praised the young batter who has the potential to take over the batting mantle from Williamson. “Rachin is an incredibly special talent. It’s always great to bat with him. He goes out and plays with freedom. He’s so gifted, really, really confident, clear in what he’s trying to do. We’ve seen it on so many occasions, especially in big tournaments, where he has stood up and shone, and we’ve seen it here again. Hopefully, he can continue that into the next match as he is batting beautifully.”
When India take on New Zealand in the final on Sunday, there will be a battle within the battle as Virat Kohli and Ravindra contest for top batting honours. After just three matches, Ravindra (226 runs) is second in the list, just one run behind leader Ben Duckett of England, while Kohli (217) is in fourth spot after four matches, eight runs behind Joe Root at No. 3. With just nine runs separating Kohli and Ravindra, it’s difficult to predict who will end up as the tournament’s top run-getter.
Ravindra though has had limited success against India in both Tests and ODIs. He made his Test debut at Kanpur in 2021, scoring 13 and 18. In the second Test at the Wankhede, he got four and 18. However, when he returned for a Test series in November 2024, he struck 134 and 39* at Bangalore, 65 and nine at Pune and five and four in Mumbai, as NZ swept the series 3-0. In ODIs, Ravindra has played just three games against India, scoring 94, with 75 being the highest. Undoubtedly, he’d love to improve this record against India, beginning with the final on Sunday.
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