New Zealand’s Ravindra relishing ‘extra special’ Bengaluru Test

Bengaluru — When New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra enters the ground for the series-opening Test against India in Bengaluru on Wednesday, the popular all-rounder will be assured of loud support from fans that will include many family members.

Born in New Zealand to Indian parents, the mop-haired left-hander from Wellington emerged as a crowd favourite among Indian fans when playing for the Black Caps in the 2023 50-over World Cup and Chennai in this season’s Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 24-year-old said he was now relishing the opportunity to play the game’s longest format in the city his father grew up in and competed in domestic cricket matches many years ago.

“It’s cool. I think when I was here the last time for the IPL and the ODI World Cup they were two pretty cool experiences to have as part of two very good teams,” Ravindra said.

“I guess there’s something different about playing a Test match. You’re here for five days, it’s tradition, Test cricket is the pinnacle so it’s always nice to play Test cricket.”

Ravindra said the game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium would be “extra special” because of the family connection.

“I’m very proud of my Indian heritage and to be able to play where a lot of my family is based is pretty special,” he said.

“There will be a bunch of them in the crowd and dad will be here watching. These moments, you pinch yourself on the journey and this is definitely one of them.”

New Zealand’s new captain Tom Latham said on Tuesday he expected pace bowlers to play a crucial role in what was likely to be a rain-interrupted opening match of the three-Test series.

Heavy rain hampered final preparations for both teams on the eve of the contest, and more showers are predicted throughout the week in which the Black Caps will aim to stop a rampant India from continuing their winning run at home.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting the weather we’ve had over the last couple of days since arriving here. Looking at the forecast, it obviously… looks similar to what we’ve got today,” Latham said as rain poured down.

“Obviously the wicket being under the covers for a longer duration and it not necessarily being as hot as what we would usually expect here, I guess that potentially brings the fast bowlers into play.

“We had a look at the previous game played here a month ago [in the domestic league] and I think the seamers took a lot of wickets. Again, it’s hard to say, because we haven’t really had a look at the wicket in terms of a team we play.”

Latham took over as permanent Test captain from Tim Southee recently after a 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka and is looking to help the team win their first match against India since 1988.

The hosts have not lost a series on home soil since 2012, adding to the difficult challenge in front of Latham and his team, but the skipper said they were raring to go.

“Every game we come out to play, we want to win. The World Test Championship has produced cricket where teams are looking for results in terms of where they sit on the ladder,” said Latham, whose side sit sixth.

“We’ll certainly be no different. We’ll be looking to win as much as we can. The situation will dictate the way we play and we’re going to try to win.”

Reuters