From watching the 2019 World Cup as a fanboy to now becoming a part of the New Zealand team for the ongoing edition of the mega event, Rachin has surely traveled a long road. Rachin Ravindra made headlines during the first game of World Cup 2023 that was played between England and New Zealand where he came out to bat at number 3 and ended up smashing 123* off 96, helping his side beat England by 9 Wickets.
Rachin’s father named him after the two Indian legends Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid as he took RA from Rahul and CHIN from Sachin. Rachin was born in an Indian household in Wellington, New Zealand but his family is originally from Bangalore. He made his red-ball debut in India against India back in November 2021. Sachin’s father was a huge fan of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar and that’s the reason why he named his son after them.
"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."
Ravindra came in the limelight when he was added to New Zealand's Under-19 squad. He then went on to play in the U-19 World Cup in 2016 and 2018. He had a great run across domestic setup and as a result, he managed to get a national call for his country in 2021 in the T20Is. He took part in six T20Is before making his red ball debut but then he could not find a place in the ODI for a long time as he only collected 73 runs in three games. However, he made a brilliant comeback by playing a few brilliant knocks in the white-ball cricket for New Zealand and now he is a permanent member of the side.