BENGALURU: A little over a year ago when Rachin Ravindra turned out for New Zealand ‘A’ during a red-ball tour game at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, it was a homecoming of sorts. The Wellington-born all-rounder’s parents Ravi Krishnamurthy and Deepa hail from the city and as a child Rachin had visited the stadium often during vacation.
While Rachin is proud of his ethnicity, he considers himself ‘completely Kiwi’. But the city’s role in shaping his career cannot be discounted. His father, Ravi, a techie in Wellington, was a clublevel cricketer and a passionate follower of the game. After moving to New Zealand in the 1990s, Ravi’s love for the sport only grew and as Rachin puts it, his father is his biggest coach. Ravi, a Level 3 certified coach by New Zealand Cricket, is the founder of the Wellington-based Hutt Hawks club, which has been the home base for internationals like Rachin and Ben Sears. In July, in the build-up to the World Cup, Rachin toured Bengaluru, Anantapur and Hyderabad with the club.
Come Saturday, the 23-year-old will play for New Zealand against Pakistan amidst family and friends. While his parents are back in New Zealand due to professional commitments, Rachin, who is currently among the leading World Cup run-getters with 415 runs, will not be short of support.
His maternal grandparents are excited at the prospect of watching him play an international match for the first time. His grandfather, noted educationalist TA Balakrishna Adiga, told TOI on Thursday, “It is a very proud moment for us, and the entire family will be at the stadium to support Rachin and his team.”
“I’ve watched him play in a couple of practice matches, but this will be the first time that we will see him represent New Zealand,” added Balakrishna. While Balakrishna’s emotions were measured, his wife Poornima Adiga’s sentiments were palpable.
“Rachin was interested in cricket from a very young age and his father fuelled his dreams with unconditional support, facilities, and coaching. It is a matter of great pride for us that our grandson will play for New Zealand in Bengaluru in a World Cup match,” said Poornima.
Poornima will miss out on preparing Rachin’s favourite south Indian delicacies during his visit this time, but she understands he’s here as an integral member of the New Zealand team. “He loves the dosa and bonda soup that I make and always tells his mother that she can’t match my taste,” laughed Poornima, before adding, “I know we won’t be able to meet him this time, but he will always have our blessings.”
The M Chinnaswamy stadium is incidentally the home ground of Rahul Dravid and Rachin’s name is derived from Rahul and Sachin Tendulkar’s names.
