Exclusive: The inspiring story of how New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra made it big in cricket

Left-handed all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, the man who stood between India's victory in the first test against New Zealand during the recently concluded two-match bilateral Test series, has his roots in India. His father Ravindra Krishnamurthy and mother Deepa hail from Bengaluru. They migrated to New Zealand in the 1990s and are settled in the capital city of Wellington. Rachin and his sister Aisiri are born and brought up in New Zealand.

Cricket has been Rachin's passion since a very young age and at 22, he already has 2000+ runs and 50+ wickets (domestic and international put together) in his kitty. With 91-ball 18* in the drawn Kanpur test, he has already shown a glimpse of his capabilities on the field. Himself a cricketer, Ravindra's role is instrumental in Rachin's journey on the field. A techie by profession, Ravindra is chairman of Wellington-based Cricket Club Hutt Hawks, which also organises overseas Cricket tours.

In an exclusive interview to Ravishankar K Bhat, Executive Editor of Kannada Prabha -- one of the sister concerns of Asianet Newsable -- Ravindra Krishnamurthy speaks at length about how Rachin shaped up as a cricketer. Excerpts...

Tell us something about you, your family, native, interests in cricket etc

We (both my wife Deepa and I) are from Bengaluru. Born and brought up in Bengaluru. Both our parents are also from Bengaluru. We have a big extended family over in Bengaluru. We are very proud of our Indian and Kannada heritage. So is Rachin and my daughter. We are proud of our heritage and at the same time very much Kiwis at heart. Good to have a mix of both.

Obviously coming from India, cricket was a part of life. We followed cricket like any other family in India would. I played a bit of cricket over in Bengaluru and in New Zealand.

What made you leave India and head to New Zealand? Why did you settle there?

New Zealand is a great place; one of the very best places in the world. You will find super-friendly people all over New Zealand. Wellington where we live is like Bengaluru in the 80s -- laid back, cold weather and easy access to everywhere. We love it here. It is a great place to be and probably one of the best places to bring up kids. Life is quite easy-going here. No mad traffic unlike many big cities in the world and the laidback lifestyle suits folks coming from Bengaluru. There was no doubt in our mind this is where we wanted to live in the long run.

Do you still speak Kannada at home?

Deepa and I speak Kannada mostly. Obviously, English creeps in a lot. Rachin and Aisiri cannot speak Kannada but they do understand Kannada very well.

Heard the name Rachin was derived from Rahul and Sachin. Is it?

That was not my idea, it was my wife's. I am not so sure if she thought about mixing up two names and making up the name Rachin. We did not discuss or think hard about it. Deepa came up with it and I felt it was a really nice name, easy to roll and easy to spell. Over time, it was figured it is made up of two names, I didn’t quite know that but happy if that’s the way it is portrayed.

How did Rachin start with Cricket? What got him attracted to the game?

I am a die-hard cricket fan, who played and watched the game whenever possible. My wife Deepa too is an ardent cricket follower. We used to regularly watch cricket on the television. That must have naturally influenced Rachin.

We had some anxious moments in the early stage. Rachin had a minor issue while growing up. A small hole in the heart that filled up over the years. This was way back when he was 1. We monitored continuously for 3 years with the help of doctors. By the age of 4, he was good to go and the gap had filled up on its own thankfully. When doctors said that he was perfectly normal, Rachin had innocently asked, "Now can I play cricket for the entire day without interruptions?". That was an emotional moment for us.

How did you help Rachin grow as a professional cricketer?

I do not want to take credit for his efforts. Yes, I did help him and coached him throughout, but the effort was all his. It has been both ways. I have learnt plenty from him too. Obviously, my wife Deepa did plenty for him, like any mother has to particularly when you do not have the support of extended family. Managing two kids, having to get Rachin ready for training early morning at 5 am every day in sub-zero temperatures. Looking after the two kids' homework and school work but still fitting in time to get him ready on a consistent basis.

It’s not just me, but there are many coaches and very nice people like Ivan Tissera, Mark Borthwick, Paul Wiseman, Bob Carter, Sriram Krishnamurthy, Glenn Pocknell, Bruce Edgar and heaps more… have helped him in his journey. In fact, the likes of J Arun Kumar, Sridharan Sriram, Syed Shahabuddin, Javagal Srinath and lots more from India also influenced his cricket and thinking. All these great men help Rachin even today when needed with their advice.

When did you feel he could break into the international level?

It is a long journey and there is not like one eureka moment. There was always going to be results given the amount of time Rachin was investing in cricket due to his love for the sport, his habits, actions and behaviours were top notch and in line with his vision. He invested a lot of time training and honing his skills all out of his love for cricket. The selections were just a by-product of his effort and love from the game.

Rachin always played well beyond his age group. When he was 12 he was representing under 15s, at 13 he was representing under 17s and at 15 or 16 he was representing New Zealand under 19s. We always kind of knew he will go a long way and make it to the international level, but when he will make it there depended on a lot of variables such as whether his skill set was required at a certain time for New Zealand, was there was a spot for him that could be made, etc… Eventually, his is a classic case of if you love something you do and put in the hard yards, things will happen for you. From him, we have all learnt there are a lot of qualities required to get anywhere in life. 

Rachin has made his test debut in and vs your native country. How was the feeling?

Any feat representing your national side is an honour and privilege. Obviously, we are proud of what he has been able to achieve so far. The test debut vs India when the Indian cricket team is at their peak and in India was great to see. Rachin got a chance to play against some of the very best in the history of cricket is something that we will all cherish. 

His gritty innings of 18* off 91 was instrumental in NZ achieving a draw in the first test. What was your reaction?

Obviously massive elation. Playing in India and against some of the very best spin bowlers put him in the spotlight. I can’t quite imagine the pressure he had to go through. We know facing the biggest doubts, fears and worries are the ultimate tests at that level. Glad he came through. It was a razor’s edge sort of stuff. If the ball spun an inch less it could take the outside edge. We know it’s a game of millimetres. Although we know the pressure is perceived in the mind, it does create doubts. Making good decisions under pressure is what players want and thrive for. Thankfully it went his way.

You win some, lose some. Happy that Rachin had the courage, confidence and trusted his training. There were notable performances by the Black Caps all along which in fact provided Rachin with an opportunity to be able to face the challenge. But for some gritty performances by others, he would not have had a chance. Just thankful he got an opportunity in his debut game to go through what he had to and put his skills under test in trying conditions.

Ironically, Rachin's fighting knock came against a team, which is being coached by one of your cricketing idols, Rahul Dravid. Tell us about that moment.

In any case, it was a moment to cherish. It is not an easy task to draw the game vs India in India. If Rachin was able to draw some inspiration from Rahul Dravid who’s done similar such feats countless times that’s awesome. No doubt Rachin will continue to draw inspiration from Rahul Dravid as he is one of his idols and not just mine. Rahul has been a stellar player and is a consistent source of inspiration to every player no doubt.

Having made a mark with the bat in the debut test itself, where would you see Rachin going hereafter? A batting allrounder or a bowling allrounder?

It is not up to me to work out where he goes from here. He has put in equal time in training in bowling, batting, fielding and leadership. Would be nice to see him continue to grow in all facets of the game, not just batting or bowling. Fielding is also one of the important aspects of the game and on days when he’s unable to contribute with bat and ball, he would be able to contribute in the field. All facets of the game are equally important, particularly in this time and age. Hope he continues to progress in all these departments equally. You never know when you may be able to contribute in each of these areas. 

Do you see him playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Any plans to enter the auction pool?

At this point in time, he has just made his debut. There is a long hard road ahead. Not thinking that far ahead. Take one game at a time and keep making progress. We can’t deny the fact IPL is a premier tournament and taking part in it is something every cricketer would cherish. I think there is a lot of boxes you must tick to be able to play in IPL. Whether he ticks those boxes is something that the franchises work out. We’ll have to see if there are any interests and if there are some, he will know and likewise, his agent will act.

Who are Rachin's Cricketing idols?

Growing up, Rachin looked up to a lot of players. There were many including Sachin and Rahul. There were Ponting, Lara, Hayden, Inzamam etc… A great era for cricket. Rachin leaned towards Sachin, Rahul and Ross Taylor as idols with the bat. Trent Boult and Vettori were his bowling idols growing up.

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