New Zealand captain Tim Southee praised all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, backing the youngster to have a flourishing career in the traditional format. Southee said Ravindra was excited about the subcontinent challenge, which was evident with how he played in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Ravindra played the lone warrior’s role and nearly helped New Zealand script a remarkable chase on Day 4 of the Test match.
Rachin Ravindra, batting at No.4, hit 92 from 168 balls. He batted with the lower middle order and then the lower order valiantly. None of the other New Zealand batters, including their former skipper Kane Williamson, went past 30 runs in the final innings of the Test when the visitors were chasing 275 runs.
Rachin single-handedly kept New Zealand’s hopes alive, remaining unbeaten-0n 92 on Sunday. New Zealand needed 68 runs on Day 5 for a memorable victory and had only two wickets in hand. However, Rachin got out in the second over of the day, LBW to left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya.
“I know he is a magnificent player. He played here for the first time. He must be very, very excited about it. Yeah, we’ve been excited for a while. We saw glimpses back in New Zealand of his abilities and what he’s got. He’s got a lot of attributes that set him up for a lot of success at this level. We’ve seen that in the short sample size,” Tim Southee said after New Zealand’s 63-run defeat in Galle.
Rachin Ravindra looked solid and comfortable against the high-quality Sri Lankan spin-bowling attack. In the first innings, Rachin hit a solid 39 and followed it up with a memorable knock in the second innings, albeit in a losing cause.
Rachin worked hard before New Zealand’s lengthy subcontinent tour. He was training in Chennai, the home of his IPL franchise, and worked on his ability to handle spin before the BlackCaps traveled to Greater Noida for a one-off Test against Afghanistan. However, Rachin did not get an opportunity to showcase his skills there because the Test match was abandoned due to rain.
Rachin has made a fine start to his Test career. The 24-year-old’s debut series in India did not go according to plan. However, he hit a memorable double hundred against South Africa in Mount Maunganui at the start of the year. He followed it up with two half-centuries against Australia in February-March.
