Opinion

Rachin Ravindra reminds me of a young Yuvraj Singh, says Anil Kumble

Written by Sumit Seth

Anil Kumble has claimed that Rachin Ravindra reminds him of a young Yuvraj Singh after his incredible knock against England in the opening match of World Cup 2023.

Ravindra delivered an exceptional performance against England in the opening match of the ICC World Cup 2023 after being promoted to number three as Kane Williamson wasn’t a part of the match.. Ravindra’s unbeaten score of 123 runs off just 96 balls was a dazzling display of his cricketing prowess.

Ravindra’s performance was instrumental in New Zealand’s commanding nine-wicket win against England. Alongside Devon Conway, who scored an unbeaten 152, the duo chased a target of 283 with 82 balls to spare. This brutal southpaw combination led to a thumping defeat for England, marking a strong start for New Zealand in the tournament.

The 23-year-old had shown he was a handy customer with the bat when he had opened the batting for New Zealand in their warm-up game against Pakistan and scored 97. Speaking to Cricinfo, Kumble said it was a special innings from Ravindra and claimed that the all-rounder did remind him of a young Yuvraj Singh when he was in full flow.

Kumble also labelled Ravindra’s knock as very elegant and wonderful.

“We saw what he’s capable of in that warm-up game (against Pakistan) when he opened the batting. But this was very special, you know, in his World Cup debut against the defending champions to back the way he did. This was my first sort of treat of Rachin Ravindra. He looks a bit like Yuvraj Singh, a young Yuvraj Singh in his flow. Very elegant. So wonderful,” said Kumble.

About the author

Sumit Seth