Cricketer with Anantapur connection named in New Zealand squad
The Indian-origin cricketer has been selected to Kiwis Test team for England tour
Hyderabad: Wellington all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, named among three uncapped players in the New Zealand cricket team which will play two Tests in England in June and World Test Championship final against India, has a strong Indian connection.
Twenty-one-year-old Ravindra, who is born to Indian parents Ravi Krishnamurthy, a software system architect from Bengaluru, and Deepa Krishnamurthy, is seen as one of New Zealand’s most promising players. The parents moved to New Zealand in the late 90s but Ravindra along with his father Ravi were frequent visitors to Anantapur Sports Foundation in Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh).
On Thursday, when the New Zealand selectors named Rachin in the Test squad, Khatib Syed Shahabuddin was one of the happiest coaches. “He was part of the Hutt Hawks contingent that used to train at the Rural Development Trust at Anantapur for the last four years. He is a promising cricketer. As a young cricketer, he showed a lot of promise and hunger to excel as a left-handed bat and left-arm spin. He would bat for long hours,’’ Shahabuddin, the director of the academy and also the chairman of the Andhra Senior selection committee, said.
Father Ravi said: “Rachin loved cricket from a young age. I knew a fair bit of coaching and helped him a lot. He played under-19 when he was 16 years old. Anantapur is second home to a lot of New Zealand cricketers, including players like Jimmy Neesham. We spent a good four months in Anantapur,’’ said Ravi.
Meanwhile, Rachin said it was an honour to represent New Zealand any day in any game let alone the World Test Championship that will be played against India. “Playing against India that consists of world class players is a very exciting prospect, something any player would look forward to and I’m alike,’’ he said from Wellington.
Coach KS Shahabuddin with Rachin Ravindran at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
Rachin said training at RDT at Anantapur helped him to grow as a player. “I’ve trained, played at RDT (Anantapur) every year in the last four years during our winter. The massive Charity that RDT engages has been an eye opener and has helped me grow as a person as well,’’ he added.
Rachin made his debut for Wellington province at 18 and has scored three centuries and nine half centuries at first-class level, including a century for New Zealand A against the West Indies. “Rachin’s been earmarked as a star of the future since his under-19 days and we’ve been really encouraged by the advancement in his game this season with both bat and ball,” Black Caps coach Gary Stead said.
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