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<\/p>\nNew Zealand\u2019s Rachin Ravindra celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the 2023 ICC men\u2019s cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 5 October<\/p>\n
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If the international cricketing community didn\u2019t know who Rachin Ravindra was, they are certainly familiar with the all-rounder now after the opening game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in which he became the youngest New Zealand batter to score a World Cup century.<\/p>\n
The astounding feat came as Ravindra played a significant role in both innings of New Zealand\u2019s nine-wicket win against defending champions England in the cricket tournament\u2019s opening game on Thursday.<\/p>\n
With Kane Williamson still recovering from an ACL injury and Lockie Ferguson picking up a niggle at the last moment, New Zealand included 23-year-old Ravindra in their playing XI for the match at Ahmedabad\u2019s Narendra Modi Stadium.<\/p>\n
Ravindra pounced on the opportunity and made his chance count as he scored his maiden One-Day International (ODI) century for New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Ravindra, who came out to bat at No 3, struck five sixes and 11 fours in his unbeaten knock of 123 runs off 96 balls at a strike-rate of 128.12.<\/p>\n
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The batsman shared a fantastic 273-run stand with opener Devon Conway for the second wicket.<\/p>\n
At 23 years and 321 days, he becomes the third-youngest batter to score a century on World Cup debut.<\/p>\n
Ravindra also bowled a full 10 overs in the match\u2019s first innings and took the crucial wicket of Harry Brook, who at that point had England\u2019s best strike right with 25 runs off 16 balls. <\/p>\n
Story behind Ravindra\u2019s name<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s fitting that the Kiwi cricketer racked up his first ODI hundred in India. Ravindra\u2019s Indian parents, father Ravi Krishnamurthy and mother Deepa Krishnamurthy, moved to Wellington from Bengaluru in the 1990s.<\/p>\n Ravindra\u2019s father was a former club player and cricket enthusiast. He named his son, born on 18 November 1999 in Wellington, after two legendary Indian cricketers. Ravindra\u2019s name, Rachin, is a portmanteau of two Indian greats \u2013 Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.<\/p>\n Rachin Ravindra celebrates after reaching his century<\/p>\n \u201cBack in the day, mum and dad were deciding about names and they both liked Rahul and Sachin and liked their names,\u201d Ravindra said in a recent interview.<\/p>\n \u201cRa from Rahul and Chin from Sachin, but that was a long time ago. Two amazing players. Very lucky to be named after them.\u201d<\/p>\n Ravindra\u2019s talent was recognised at a very young age as he played for New Zealand\u2019s Under-19 side and their \u201cA\u201d team.<\/p>\n He represented New Zealand in the Under-19 World Cup in 2016. He also played in the 2018 edition of the tournament, which took place in New Zealand, and scored 117 against Kenya and struck 76 against South Africa. He also finished as the Kiwis\u2019 leading wicket-taker, with 13 scalps.<\/p>\n In 2021, Ravindra made his T20I debut against Bangladesh in Mirpur, but it turned out to be a forgettable outing as he was dismissed for a golden duck and New Zealand also lost the game.<\/p>\n Ravindra makes Test debut on Indian soil<\/strong><\/p>\n Soon after that, Ravindra made his Test debut for the Black Caps and his maiden Test was interestingly in India, where he still has family roots as his paternal grandparents live in Jayanagar, South Bengaluru. Earlier this year, Ravindra finally broke into New Zealand\u2019s ODI setup as well.<\/p>\n Ravindra wears No 8 for New Zealand because he is a huge fan of late basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, who won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Nicknamed the Black Mamba after the highly venomous African snake, Bryant is known as one of the greatest basketballers of all time.<\/p>\n \u201cMy jersey number is eight and the significance around it is I\u2019m a big basketball fan and that was Kobe Bryant\u2019s first number when he first entered the NBA,\u201d Ravindra said.<\/p>\n On the international level, Ravindra has scored 73 runs in three Tests, 312 runs in 13 ODIs and 145 runs in 18 T20Is for New Zealand.<\/p>\n Ravindra cheered for Black Caps from India in 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Ravindra\u2019s father, a close friend of legendary Indian cricketer Javagal Srinath, is the founder of the Hutt Hawks Cricket Club in New Zealand. He brings young members of his cricket club to India every year.<\/p>\n Rachin Ravindra celebrates with his teammate after taking the wicket of England\u2019s Harry Brook during the 2023 ICC men\u2019s cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between England and New Zealand<\/p>\n In one such outing in India in 2019, Ravindra watched the World Cup final between England and New Zealand at a stock exchange bar in Bengaluru.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is actually quite a story,\u201d he said in an interview.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad takes a bunch of age group boys to India (annually) and we were in Bangalore [as the city was earlier called] on a senior trip. We were watching the final (2019) in a stock exchange bar. I watched the whole final. It was unbelievable and such a rollercoaster experience with the high and lows of the game.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving Indian supporters around us was pretty cool. It is an experience I will never forget,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n From cheering for New Zealand from India as a fan in 2019 to now scoring a century on his World Cup debut for the Black Caps, Ravindra has come a long way.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2023\/10\/06\/05\/SEI174762356.jpg\")
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