When Rachin Ravindra was struck by the ball on his forehead a fortnight ago, during the tri-series in Lahore, there were doubts over his availability for the Champions Trophy.
He missed out on the tournament opener against Pakistan last week but returned to action in style on Monday, with a classy century against Bangladesh as New Zealand stormed into the semifinal and drew curtains on Pakistan’s campaign.
“It was definitely a freak accident. Things like that don’t really happen too often,” Ravindra said. “I’m very grateful to have a great support crew around me, and I’m extremely grateful for the love and support of everyone…”
Though he sat out of the team’s first game, Ravindra’s hard work in the nets helped him.
“Being able to come here and contribute to a win for the Black Caps is an environment that I hold dearly, and I enjoy playing for it,” Ravindra said, adding: “It was cool to come back and enjoy my cricket again after that weird moment…”
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For the first time in his ODI career, Ravindra came in at No.4, and with the team struggling, he built a partnership with Tom Latham to guide the side home. Latham admitted that the innings in Rawalpindi spoke volumes about Ravindra’s determination.
“He came in at a slightly different role than he’s used to playing. When he came in at No.4, the team was under a little bit of pressure as well, losing two early wickets, and for him to absorb a little bit of pressure and then putting the pressure back on them was fantastic,” Latham said.
“It just shows the talent that he’s got. Not playing for a couple of weeks after being hit (on the forehead) and then coming out and playing an innings like that was outstanding…”
Ravindra and Latham forged a 129-run partnership to ensure a win for the Kiwis, and having played together for a long time, it was all about backing each other. “Tommy’s a great man to bat with. He’s got so much experience, he’s captained the team before and has played so much cricket and gets along with them well. So, for us, it’s just about building our partnership and trying to take it deep,” Ravindra said.
The crowd chanted his name as he scored a century, and Ravindra acknowledged them by raising the bat. The last couple of weeks were challenging for the 25-year-old, but taking things in his stride, he came back stronger.
