New Delhi: Young Kiwi all-rounder Rachin Ravindra continued his dream run in the ICC World Cup 2023 by smashing yet another impressive ton in a high-scoring thriller against Australia on Saturday.
In the match, which was played in HPCA’s Dharamshala Stadium, the cricketer scored 116 runs in just 89 deliveries and kept his team’s hopes alive for a long time in the Mammoth chase of 389 against the mighty Australia.
However, despite Ravindra’s century and Jimmy Neesham’s heroism, Australia managed to pull off the game in their favor in the final over and registered a 5-run victory over the Black Caps.
Following the nail-biting encounter, Rachin appeared in a press conference where he was questioned about his excellent performance with the bat as well as his fan following and connection with India by the media persons.
Kiwi and Proud of Indian heritage
After New Zealand’s heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Australia, Rachin was questioned about his stupendous batting in CWC 2023 and if it has anything to do with his “Indian roots”.
Replying to the same, the talented cricketer said, “Oh, well, I think, I’ve been asked this question a lot, but I guess I’m 100% Kiwi, and I’m very proud of my Indian heritage. But I guess it’s proud to be able to do it in the country where my parents were born where they grew up and where a lot of my family is. But I think, obviously the conditions, are good for batting and being able to come to India previously on tours and trying not to perfect my game but I try to get better. I guess that helps in a way,” Rachin Ravindra responded.”
Rachin Appriciates Indian fans
Rachin was then asked about the love and support he and his team received from the Indian fans in Dharamshala despite the Stadium being a neutral venue for Both New Zealand and Australia.
Replying to this, he said, “Yes, I think this was one of the best crowds we’ve played in India, and having that sort of fanfare and the response, how they responded to the match, was really special.”
“As a kid, you always dream of the crowd chanting your name and it was cool to see them do that on multiple occasions even when Aussies were batting and when Nish did his thing at the end. So, I think it’s always special, you sort of soak in those moments, and hopefully we never really take them for granted”, the explosive batsman added further.
Despite the loss, Rachin’s New Zealand remains one of the top contenders for qualifying in the semi-final of the tournament and is currently in 3rd Position on the points table.
