Rachin Ravindra in press conference© ICC
New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra continued his stupendous form with the bat as the Kiwis took on Australia in a Cricket World Cup 2023 match on Saturday. Ravindra’s 116 off 89 balls set the right platform for New Zealand to chase down the target of 389 runs but despite a valiant effort from Jimmy Neesham at the end, the Australians emerged on top. In the press conference, Rachin wasn’t just asked about his performance in the middle but also the support he got from the fans and his ‘Indian roots’.
In the press conference after New Zealand’s loss to Australia, Rachin was asked about the pressure of performing in India because of his Indian roots.
“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 and where they grew up and where a lot of my family is. But I think, obviously the conditions, it’s good for batting and being able to come to India previously on tours and trying to not perfect my game but I try get better. I guess that that helps in a way,” Ravindra responded.
Rachin was also asked about the support he got from the crowd in Dharamsala, considering it was a ‘neutral venue’ for the Kiwis.
“Yeah, I think this was probably one of the best crowds we’ve played in India and having that sort of fanfare and the response, like how they responded to the game was pretty special, I think. 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 Aussie were batting and when Nish [Neesham] 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,” he said.
Despite the loss, New Zealand are in a healthy state to qualify for the Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-finals.
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