Unflustered by an ordinary day with the ball and unfazed by an unexpected promotion, he treated the world champions not with diffidence but with disdain
Matt Roller05-Oct-20231:29
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It was a moment of impudence that laid this drubbing bare. Rachin Ravindra, who watched the final of the 2019 World Cup in a bar in Bengaluru, had picked Chris Woakes’ slower ball before Woakes himself knew he was about to bowl it. When Ravindra swung it back over the bowler’s head for six, his back leg gave way like a flamingo’s.By that stage, New Zealand were already cruising towards their nine-wicket win, needing a shade over four runs per over. But Ravindra saw no reason to slow down: the youngest man on the pitch played the fearless cricket considered England’s hallmark. When he flicked the winning run into the leg side, New Zealand had romped home with 82 balls to spare: so much for the barest of margins.Related
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His unbroken partnership with Devon Conway, a close friend and Wellington team-mate, was worth 273 in 35.1 overs – the fourth-biggest stand in World Cup history, and surely among the easiest on the eye. This was a memorable night for both, making hundreds on their World Cup debuts; for Ravindra, having his Indian-born parents in the stands made it doubly so.”A hundred’s always special,” he said. “But in terms of being able to perform in India, it is pretty cool. It was nice to have my parents there watching: they flew over from New Zealand. It was cool to have that moment and it’s always nice coming to India – there’s a sense of a family connection whenever I’m in Bangalore, being able to see my grandparents.”Rachin Ravindra was surprised at being asked to bat at No. 3, given the depth of New Zealand’s line-up•Getty ImagesNearly six hours earlier, Ravindra’s first involvement in this game could hardly have gone worse. Asked to bowl the 17th over, he started his spell with six back-of-a-length balls: the third, fourth and fifth went for four, four and six as Harry Brook rocked back and nailed him over midwicket. When Brook hoicked his sixth ball to Conway in the deep, Ravindra’s sense of relief was palpable.After his first over cost 15, Ravindra recovered to some extent – though he still conceded 61 runs in his nine subsequent overs. He has always been a top-order batter first and a left-arm spinner second, but New Zealand have viewed him as a project player, primarily using him in the middle order and pushing him to develop his bowling.But circumstances enabled him to shift up the order. When Will Young was rested for the warm-up game against Pakistan in Hyderabad, Ravindra made 97 off 72 balls while filling in as opener. And with Kane Williamson not risked as he continues his recovery from an ACL tear, there was a vacancy at No. 3: Ravindra was only too happy to fill it.It came as a surprise when Gary Stead, New Zealand’s coach, told him he would bat up the order. “I wasn’t necessarily expecting it,” Ravindra conceded. “We bat seriously low with [Mitchell] Santner at No. 9, and he’s a genuine allrounder. It gave us that licence to go out and express yourself.”Empowered to attack, Ravindra started with a textbook one-two, whipping Chris Woakes’ half-volley wide of mid-on for four before pulling his overcorrection through midwicket. After he swung Mark Wood’s 92mph/149kph bouncer over square leg and timed Sam Curran past mid-off, he had 38 off 23 balls.Ravindra says he and Conway ‘check in with each other, ball after ball, and [make] sure what’s important stays important’•Getty ImagesJos Buttler turned to spin, giving Moeen Ali the final over of the first powerplay, but it made no difference. Ravindra dumped his drag-down over wide long-on and into the lower tier, and launched a floaty offbreak into the same spot to bring up a 36-ball half-century. He spent most of the middle overs playing second fiddle to Conway, shifting down a gear and finding cruising speed.Their partnership was a masterclass in 50-overs batting, both batters maintaining a strike rate around 120 throughout while taking minimal risks. “The way me and Dev go about it is to check in with each other, ball after ball, and making sure what’s important stays important,” Ravindra said. “The process, and your routines, as opposed to just blindly trying to take someone down or do something rash.”Conway brought up his century in 83 balls, the fastest hundred in New Zealand’s World Cup history. His record stood for barely 15 minutes, as he embraced Ravindra on reaching three figures in 82. “I know how much work he does behind the scenes,” Conway said. “He showed the world what he’s capable of.”Ravindra has been a long-term project for New Zealand: he played his first Under-19 World Cup at 16, and made both his first-class and List A debuts for New Zealand A rather than Wellington. But all they have invested in him would be worthless without the talent, the determination, and the composure underpinning it.This was an innings for the dreamers, one which kept alive the idea that a young man could walk out on the biggest night of his career and treat the world champions not with diffidence but with disdain. Tonight, that young man was Rachin Ravindra.