New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra has broken a 27-year-old record made by Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar in the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Tendulkar had clinched the record for scoring the most runs in a single edition of the cricket tournament before turning 25. He had amassed 523 runs in seven matches during the 1996 World Cup when he was just a few days short of turning 23.
He also finished with more runs in the tournament than any other batter.
Ravindra surpassed Tendulkar’s record just days before turning 24. The Auckland-born cricketer achieved the milestone during New Zealand’s five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Ravindra, who will turn 24 on 18 November, went past Tendulkar’s 523-run tally with a clip off Sri Lanka bowler Maheesh Theekshana in the second innings of the match at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The all-rounder struck three sixes and three fours in his knock of 42 off 34 balls during New Zealand’s chase of 172 against Sri Lanka. His tournament total as of now is 565 runs from nine matches.
“Sachin Tendulkar is the God of cricket. No one near him,” said the young Kiwi all-rounder, whose first name is an amalgamation of Indian cricketing legends Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
Once the all-rounder was in action, the crowd at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru, where his parents originally lived before moving to New Zealand, chanted his name loudly.
Ravindra admitted the chanting by Indian fans was “a pretty surreal feeling”.
“I am grateful for the support, especially playing in Bangalore,” he told Star Sports.
“The crowd chanting my name is something I will never take for granted. I dreamt of it as a child. I feel very happy to be here, lucky enough it worked out.”
Ravindra’s recent rise has come just months after he was not in New Zealand’s World Cup picture at all.
The Black Caps included the top-order batter after Kane Williamson needed more time to recover from a knee injury. Making full use of the golden opportunity, Ravindra has until now scored three centuries in this World Cup.
He is currently the leading scorer in the ongoing tournament in India, with 565 runs in nine matches at an excellent average of 70.62.
