Playing in Bengaluru with my extended family is always special – Rachin Ravindra

Rachin Ravindra has been an instrumental moniker in the New Zealand ranks as he continues to lead the run-scoring charts with 565 runs. He dished out another fine knock against Sri Lanka, as the Black Chaps chased down the modest total of 172 in just 24 overs even though they lost five wickets.

Ravindra has already scored three centuries in the tournament - 123* against England in the first match, 116 vs Australia and 108 against Pakistan. Apart from the centuries, he has also smashed a couple of half-centuries that saw him knitting together 51 against Netherlands and 75 versus India.

In a speech earlier, he has talked about how his name is a portmanteau of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar while his Bengaluru connections made the crowd go absolutely gaga for him apart from his top notch batting flair.

After his crucial knock against Sri Lanka, Rachin attributed his success to bigger names in the sport who are already a part of the ongoing tournament. He said, “Talk to Devon, talk to Kane who has played in the IPL, get golden nuggets from them whenever I can. Still water under the bridge and we will be watching those games. I idolised Kane, idolised a lot of guys in this World Cup, Kohli, Root, Steve Smith and I felt ooh, I'm playing with them. I'm lucky to have that freedom from the guys.”

Talking about his love for Bengaluru, Rachin said, “It's a pretty surreal feeling. Playing in Bangalore with my extended family is always special and I won't take for granted when the crowd chants your name. To be compared to the great man (Sachin Tendulkar) is something I never dreamt of. Lucky it all worked out. 6 to 12 months ago I was not in the frame. Accolades and individual things aside, good to be in the playoffs."