INTERVIEW
Follow UsRachin Ravindra is the talk of the town. After all, how many New Zealand batters have come to India and found instant success like this 24-year-old? Across four innings, the left-hander has left a long-lasting impression on Indian viewers, and his name is now etched in their memories.
He’s already scored 247 runs in the ongoing three-match Test series, including a remarkable 134 against a strong Indian bowling unit in front of his ‘home away from home’ in Bengaluru. Those who have watched him from a young age, though, won’t be shocked.
As a three-year-old, Ravindra once broke into tears — not from throwing a tantrum, but because the rains in Wellington had ruined his daily dose of cricket. This small tale sums up his love for the sport.
Cricket wasn’t just his first love; it was his life.
Therefore, it was no surprise when Ravindra caught the attention of the cricketing circles around Wellington at the age of 15. Sriram Krishnamurthy, a renowned coach on New Zealand’s coaching circuit, watched him for the first time and was convinced within seconds that he was looking at a future star.
What caught Sriram’s attention, though, was the Wellington-born's bowling, and that skill ultimately fast-tracked him into the Wellington U-19 setup and, later on, even for New Zealand U-19, owing to the shortage of quality spin-bowling options in the age-group category.
“It was Rachin [Ravindra], the bowler, who initially caught my eye, rather than Rachin, the batter. I vividly remember this conversation with Rachin as well, that he was going to play for Wellington U-19s, if not that season, the next season,” Sriram recollects his conversation with Rachin in an exclusive Cricket.com conversation.
“What was of interest to us was that it was a [U-19] World Cup year, and that tournament would happen in Bangladesh. Given the depth in New Zealand, we knew that perhaps someone like Rachin, who could bowl and bat if he had a good show at the national tournament, then there is a chance that he could go as far as making it to the New Zealand U-19 team,” he added.
Like his cricketing career, when given a chance, the left-hander converted his first opportunity into a jackpot, amassing 330 runs in seven games, the third-most runs in the National Under-19 tournament (2015/16 season). Even with the ball, the left-arm spinner scalped nine wickets, averaging 19.33 with the ball, which took him then to the U-19 World Cup.
“New Zealand didn’t have too many spin-bowling all-rounders. It was largely a punt that we took, and I remember having a conversation with Rachin that we are picking him for the Wellington team, and here’s the reason [spin] why we would like to showcase him to a broader pool.”
To think that he was just 15 when all of this had happened makes the story scarcely believable.
“Rachin is someone who enjoys batting a lot, so from that perspective, the amount of hours that he has spent in the nets has moulded him into quite a complete package at 15. There wasn’t anything raw as a batter, even when Rachin was 15. The credit goes to his dad and all the other coaches who helped him growing up in Wellington,” he added.
But it wasn’t his batting that got him anywhere close to the Blackcaps setup. His ability to contribute with the ball as a sharp left-arm spin had only got him the Test cap in Kanpur. As it turned out, it was his ability to blunt a sharp Indian spin unit with a defence that stood out.
In those 91 minutes when the 21-year-old was at the crease, India threw everything at him, but he defended it like a monk who had sold his Ferrari (attacking shots). While he might have had all the shots in the world, his defence stood out during that battle, something that was engrained in him as a top-order batter.
“The reality is that you had to have a sound defence, and he had that. That’s what helped him go through that period of play in Kanpur, albeit him playing spinners,” Sriram added.
Three years later, on October 18, 2024, it was a completely different tale. The now 24-year-old, who was far more confident with his game and adept at playing in tough conditions, played the perfect counter-attacking knock to take the Indian bowlers by total surprise.
Everyone remembers his 134 — a score that will haunt India for at least the next generation, akin to Kevin Pietersen’s 186, which is now part of folklore. Just like Pietersen, Ravindra's intent was clear: he aimed to take on the Indian bowlers, not giving them any room to breathe, going after the core.
“What has evolved in his game is the ability to score runs quicker. That ability to find boundaries between 2021 and 2024, if you ask me if he’s striking the ball harder, is 100%. Is he finding the gaps more often? Yes, he is finding the gaps more often. That’s the biggest place where he’s evolved,” Sriram said.
During his 248-minute stay at the crease, the southpaw not only found a third home at Chinnaswamy Stadium but became a nightmare for the Indian spinners, who were systematically taken apart by the left-handed genius.
Players from SENA countries typically come to the subcontinent with a fear of going into a shell, but that wasn’t the case for the 24-year-old. He reunited with his old coach and confidante months before the tour to sharpen his skills despite the sweltering sun in Chennai. Over four days, Sriram tested Ravindra against talented youngsters from the Super Kings Academy, where he now coaches.
The constant advice to CSK-man during those four days was simple: don’t go into a shell. The result was impressive —130 of his 173 runs were against spin in Bengaluru, where he scored at a strike rate of 100, hitting 17 boundaries. The secret was straightforward: to be in the ‘right position’ to play different shots, and Sriram helped him find his gears.
“Sometimes, a lot of players tend to limit their scoring options when they come to India or the subcontinent. Whereas with Rachin, it was a conscious thing that he could play a lot of shots, and it is not about wanting to play those shots but, as he alluded, finding himself to be in a position to play those shots,” Sriram explained what worked well for the New Zealand batter.
“It is more about understanding where I can put myself in the best position, where I’m able to react to the ball, and that it allows me to bring my best shot to that particular ball.”
This understanding led to New Zealand batter to take risks, playing against the turn on both sides of the wicket against Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin — two of the best spin bowlers in the sport's history. Against Ashwin, the left-hander maintained a control percentage of 91.4 during his first-innings heroics.
On the other hand, his percentage against Jadeja was only 66.7, primarily due to him targeting the left-arm spinner toward the end of the innings, evident from his strike rate of 105. However, throughout his innings, there wasn’t much premeditation; it was more about reacting to the ball.
Even to react as effectively as he did in Bengaluru required adjustments, like marking his guard differently for a left-arm spinner and an off-spinner, which allowed him to access more areas of the field.
“All of those shots were an action of him reacting to the ball. The couple of adjustments you rightly observed allowed him to play those shots in those zones where he stood against Jadeja or Ashwin. All those subtle adjustments allow him to find positions from the crease that invariably help him bring out more than just one shot, that helped him score at that pace,” Sriram observed how Ravindra got the best out of himself.
“If you look at the simple stat of his wagon wheel from day two to day five, similar bowlers, you can see the difference. I’m thinking perhaps the number of boundaries that he scored in the first innings, you will find him scoring most of his boundaries against Ashwin in the leg-side [squarer], whereas against Kuldeep [Yadav], you will find him scoring his boundaries down the ground, he noted.
“Jadeja has been predominantly taken for fours through the off-side. All of this ultimately suggests that he was able to play against the turn. Because the ball wasn’t turning as much, it reduced the risk,” he added.
“But ultimately, the fact of the matter is how has he made batting look so comfortable for him to look untroubled? That comes back to how he trained, how he approached the two innings, and the positions that he can get into to make batting look easy,” he said.
However, if mentally unprepared for the battle, even the best physical preparations can fail. Everyone knows the calibre and skill of the trio: Jadeja, Ashwin, and Kuldeep Yadav. But not the southpaw, whose approach was to play the game and not the man, which helped him elevate his performance.
“When talking about the mental thing, it is not the ability to think about the Ashwins, the Jadejas, or the Kuldeeps. The mental battle is to forget about them and play the ball. Sometimes, we talk about staying in the present and living in the moment, but it isn’t that easy,” Sriram said.
“Ultimately, as much as we can say, forget who is bowling at you, the reality is that if you are getting beaten, it is a battle for both sides. You have to be able to park that one and carry on from the previous ball. Whereas if you are hitting a boundary, you are going to think what the other human will do. Then you have to think about what the bowler will likely do and react that way and stay in the present; that’s the harder battle to go through,” he added.
While he might have been at the Super Kings Academy for four days, he had worked endlessly over those four days, taking on all the spinners with meticulous attention to his game plan, whether on the front or back foot. Naturally, the entire trip was more about building ‘muscle memory’, which is currently of grave help to him in the ongoing three-match Test series against India.
“The only way you can work on the mental aspect of facing quality spinners is by repeating your process ball after ball. That’s why I think his preparation in Chennai could have helped him. He’s playing on exaggerated wickets against some good-quality academy boys for a volume. He batted for quite a lot of time; it helped him not just practise his skills but also his routines,” Sriram reflected on Ravindra’s training.
“When we talk about preparation, we think about the volume and hours that he puts in, ultimately, it is these small things. It is about doing things that you would be doing in a match in a similar situation. That gives you confidence going into the match. These are what I learned, and that’s what he took to the match.”
“Obviously, a lot of focus has been on Rachin’s batting against spin, but he knows that if he’s batting at No.3 or No.4, there’s a perfect chance that he’s going to be facing the pacers as well. From that perspective, he did have quite a bit of volume against seamers as well,” Sriram noted.
“We had to sort of work with the net bowlers in terms of length and line on different surfaces, like how Bumrah and co would do in a match, for him to walk away with the understanding of the different pitches and surfaces, in terms of what happens on it,” he added.
However, what we haven’t seen from the 24-year-old is that left-arm spin everyone has been raving about. Thus far in the India series, the left-arm spinner has been sparingly used by the Blackcaps’ skipper, Tom Latham, with just six overs. The trend continued on a spin-dominant wicket in Pune, where Latham was happier trusting Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips and Ajaz Patel with the ball.
“He’s [Rachin] definitely got talent with the ball, that’s not something I’m ever in doubt of. But the beauty of team sports is that they have different options and look for the best option in a certain situation. That comes with the discretion of the captain. I don’t see it, as he was underutilised. From my perspective, multiple cricketers in the New Zealand setup can also contribute to the ball,” Sriram said, having worked with this crop of New Zealand players during his time with the ‘A’ setup back in 2018/19.
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Ravindra’s connection with the franchise runs deeper than the four days he spent at the academy. It has been a home away from home for the left-hander, who spent the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season with the five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings.
After a stellar ODI World Cup performance in 2023, just before the IPL Auction, CSK were happy to fend off interest from Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals to snap up the youngster for INR 1.8 crore.
While he started the season strongly, scoring a 15-ball 37 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and following it with a 20-ball 46 against Gujarat Titans, his form tapered off, leading to some time on the bench. This might have discouraged others, but not the 24-year-old, who took the opportunity to pick the brains of legendary figures such as Michael Hussey and Stephen Fleming.
“Rachin would have been disappointed that he didn’t play some of those [IPL] matches, but I don’t think it would have affected him. He enjoys the sport and enjoys batting, so as long as he has the ability to bat, he won’t be too bothered if he plays or not,” Sriram said, reflecting on the southpaw’s mindset.
“Even if he didn’t play a lot in the IPL, I knew that he was getting valuable time under the eyes of someone like Mike Hussey, who has had quite an impact on him. Just being able to interact and spend time with the players would have excited him. He wants to develop himself and improve his game,” he added.
One thing, however, has remained constant: Ravindra’s love for the sport. His way of expressing it has changed from crying as a child to not leaving the nets as an adult. Like many great players, Sriram noted that the Wellington-born cricketer enjoys practice even more than actual matches.
“With Rachin, this is a trait we often see in very good players; they enjoy practising and honing their skills. Rachin enjoys his batting, and he perhaps finds more joy in practice than he does in playing matches. It’s that ability to bat, bat, and bat,” the former Wellington coach said.
The 24-year-old has already established himself as a player for the future, but off the field, Sriram believes you won’t find a humbler figure than Ravindra. In fact, he asserts that the youngster is even more humble than he appears on screen.
“Absolutely. Off the field, he’s a lot calmer and more grounded than he is on camera. If you think he presents himself well in front of the camera, I believe he’s an even better human being off the field. A lot of that credit goes to his parents, Ravi and Deepa. It’s simple: he’s grown up in New Zealand with a lot of limelight surrounding him,” he concluded.
Perhaps, deep down, the then 29-year-old journeyman in coaching has found a bit of Sriram in a 15-year-old Ravindra. It is by mere coincidence that Rachin Ravindra and Sriram Krishnamurthy formed a bond, but a conscious effort has helped it blossom into a full-blown friendship nine years later.
Photo credits to CSK Academy
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