New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra on their thumping 9 wicket win over England in ICC Cricket World Cup opener
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Well played, Rajan.
00:02 This is your first International 100.
00:05 Talk us about the feeling of it.
00:07 Yeah, I think this one, I guess everyone says,
00:09 is pretty special.
00:10 And it was pretty cool to be able to share that
00:12 with Devon, my sort of good mate.
00:14 But yeah, it was a good game for us as a team, as a whole.
00:18 [INAUDIBLE]
00:31 It's all good.
00:32 No worries.
00:34 Can you also talk to us about the 273-run partnership
00:38 with your good mate from Wellington, Devon Conway?
00:41 Yeah, Dev's an absolutely incredible and special player.
00:44 I think being able to share the pitch with him was pretty cool.
00:46 I think just demonstrated his class throughout his knock.
00:49 I think some of the shots he was hitting
00:51 sort of puts that sort of wow sort of look on your face.
00:54 It was just pretty cool to be able to share that with him,
00:56 the guy I guess I've spent a lot of time with over the last five,
00:59 six years.
00:59 And seeing how he's sort of risen
01:02 to one of the best sort of batters in the world,
01:04 it's pretty cool to share that sort of milestone with him.
01:09 Your story is well documented.
01:11 You know, the kid who used to play for Hutt International
01:14 Boys School in Wellington.
01:16 And that journey has been well documented right throughout.
01:20 How proud are you of scoring that first international 100
01:23 in India, where you know you have roots?
01:27 Yeah, I think 100 is always special.
01:29 But I guess in terms of being able to perform in India,
01:32 it's pretty cool.
01:33 I think, like you said, it's cool to have
01:36 the sort of Indian roots.
01:37 And it was nice to have my parents there watching.
01:39 And they sort of flew over from New Zealand.
01:44 So it was cool to have that moment.
01:46 And obviously, it's always nice coming to India,
01:48 sort of a sense of sort of family connection
01:50 whenever I'm in Bangalore and being able to see
01:52 my grandparents and stuff.
01:53 So yeah, it's pretty cool.
01:55 Last two from me.
01:56 Can you talk to us about the bowling effort?
01:58 Because was there a feeling during the break
02:00 that you had managed to restrict them
02:03 to a total which was less than what they were looking
02:07 at getting at one stage?
02:08 For sure.
02:08 I think the boys bowled tremendously well.
02:10 I think it shows how cool it is to have such world class
02:14 bowlers on your team.
02:15 I think the way Sant and bowled and Bolte and Hennes,
02:18 I could say that for everyone, really.
02:20 The way we sort of took wickets in sort of timely times,
02:23 there was, I think, there was a beauty of it.
02:25 There was times where they looked
02:27 like they built a partnership and then we'd
02:28 get a wicket, which was cool.
02:29 I think restricting them to 280 on that surface
02:31 was pretty cool.
02:33 Last one.
02:33 Has Glenn Phillips stopped talking about his two wickets?
02:37 He's-- no, Glenn deserves every over he gets at this point.
02:42 He's put in a lot of work on his bowling
02:44 and sort of seems like he's a golden arm at the moment.
02:46 Every time he gets an opportunity,
02:48 he manages to do something special in the field
02:50 or with the ball.
02:51 So I think it's awesome how he's brought his game along.
02:56 What did you talk about during the course of the innings,
02:59 especially when you were reaching the 100 marks?
03:03 I think it was just trying to keep it pretty simple.
03:05 I think the way me and Dev sort of go about it
03:07 is being able to check in with each other ball after ball
03:09 and making sure what's important stays important,
03:12 the process and your routines, as opposed to just blindly
03:16 sort of trying to take someone down or do something rash,
03:19 I think, which is quite cool being able to share
03:22 that same process with Dev.
03:24 Was it always going to bat higher up the order
03:26 or was it just a situational thing?
03:29 You opened against Pakistan in the warm-up match
03:31 and then today at number three.
03:33 Yeah, I think I'm pretty lucky that I
03:36 was able to get the chance at about three.
03:39 I opened the batting for my domestic team,
03:41 so it's pretty cool to give them the opportunity.
03:43 And Youngie sort of had a rest after a busy Bangladesh
03:47 tour for him.
03:48 So it was nice to get that opportunity in that game
03:50 and for the first one, too.
03:52 So somewhere I'm familiar batting,
03:54 and I really enjoy batting at the top, too.
03:56 It's being able to play cricket shots and stuff.
03:58 But hey, there's still a long road ahead.
04:01 I hope we can sort of continue it.
04:02 Right, so are you OK with part-time spinner
04:06 as your job description?
04:08 That's fine.
04:09 I think anything that helps out the team.
04:11 Obviously, the sort of player I am,
04:14 I want to be a genuine all-rounder
04:15 and hopefully continue being a genuine all-rounder
04:17 in the future.
04:18 But I'm happy with whatever label's put on.
04:21 So it's fair to say that you went in with four part-time
04:24 spinners and you would have known that you
04:26 had a big role to play.
04:27 So what was your plan when you started out your spell?
04:30 Yeah, I think I was just trying to get into the game.
04:33 And I think we're lucky enough to have played these guys
04:36 in an ODI series before, so a bit of familiarity
04:39 in terms of bowling to the guys we had before.
04:41 So I think, yeah, you always want
04:43 to make your mark on the game.
04:44 Probably didn't come out as well as I would have wanted today.
04:47 But look, that's the beauty of cricket.
04:49 I think some days you have great days, some days you don't.
04:51 So we'll sort of look at it and review it
04:53 and hopefully go back again next game.
04:55 Do you work with any of the bowlers
04:57 specifically on the bowling skill, maybe Mitch or someone?
05:00 Yeah, I work very closely with Sat and Ish.
05:02 I think those two are incredible bowlers, obviously GP as well.
05:06 But being able to lean on those guys is pretty cool.
05:09 I think Sat is a world class spin bowler,
05:11 and obviously Ish is a very, very close mate of mine.
05:14 So we're able to talk a lot of cricket.
05:16 And I guess any sort of information or experience
05:19 I can take from those boys who've
05:21 played international cricket for a very long time
05:23 is pretty cool.
05:27 Rachin, was it a case that if Kane Williamson was fit,
05:33 you could have played or not?
05:34 There was no guarantee?
05:36 I don't know.
05:38 You would have sort of--
05:39 whatever happened would happen.
05:40 I guess he is unfit, so luckily enough I got an opportunity.
05:43 But hey, I guess we'll see with time to come.
05:46 Obviously Kane's a massive part of this team,
05:47 and I'm sure everyone can't wait to have him back.
05:50 And secondly, you are an Indian Kiwi,
05:53 and Devon is a South African Kiwi.
05:56 Both are-- actually you have won the match
05:58 for your adopted country.
06:00 Was there an extra satisfaction on that point?
06:03 Well, I guess we're both sort of Kiwis now.
06:06 I was born in New Zealand, and since my family's from India,
06:09 yeah, but I completely see myself as Kiwi,
06:11 and obviously very proud of my roots and my ethnicity.
06:14 But I think Devon would be the same, same to say.
06:17 I think he sort of adopted New Zealand as his home
06:19 for the last five, six years.
06:20 And I'd say he's completely Kiwi.
06:22 So I mean, being able to win a game for your nation
06:25 is always special.
06:27 Rachan, I understand that you've been named after Sachin
06:30 Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
06:31 So are you sort of idolize them, or being a left-hander,
06:35 is there somebody that you've grown up watching
06:37 and sort of copying his style?
06:39 Yeah, I think those two are pretty special cricketers.
06:41 Obviously I've heard a lot of stories
06:43 and watched a lot of footage.
06:44 And I guess the influence from my parents and my dad
06:48 sort of in the old school Indian cricketers was pretty cool.
06:51 Being able to watch a lot of the highlights and stuff.
06:54 And obviously I idolize Sachin Tendulkar.
06:56 I think a lot of people did.
06:57 And I think the way he batted and his technique
07:00 was beautiful to watch.
07:01 And yeah, I guess being lefty, there's guys you look at.
07:04 I love Lara.
07:05 I love Sengakara, just the usual gun left-handers.
07:08 But yeah, Tendulkar was definitely the idol.
07:12 Rachan, could you tell us when you found out
07:15 that you were batting at number three,
07:17 and what the message was from the coaching staff
07:19 or whoever told you?
07:19 I guess with quite a long batting lineup,
07:21 it looked like you were empowered to go pretty hard.
07:24 Yeah, that was I guess an interesting one.
07:26 When Gary told me, I guess I wasn't necessarily
07:28 expecting it as much, just because obviously we
07:31 bat seriously low.
07:32 We're sat at number nine, and he's a junior all-rounder.
07:35 So I guess it gave sort of that license
07:38 to go out and express yourself, I think.
07:41 But I mean, we did it in our way, luckily enough.
07:43 And it worked on the day.
07:44 But that's the thing.
07:46 It's a bit familiar being able to bat at the top.
07:48 And I guess when you've done it for a while for Wellington,
07:51 that feels at home.