New Zealand batters Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra joined the elite list of Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli scoring a hundred on their respective ODI World Cup debuts against England. The Kiwi batters played exceedingly well to dominate the defending champions in the World Cup opener in Ahmedabad.
The left-handed opener became the 15th player to hit a hundred on the World Cup debut followed by his partner Rachin Ravindra, who impressed everyone with his fearless batting in the absence of their skipper Kane Williamson.
Virat Kohli got his first century on his World Cup debut against Bangladesh in 2011, where the Men in Blue went on to win the championship on home soil. Given his performances in the IPL in 2023, Conway, who made his ODI debut for New Zealand in 2021, is expected to be a crucial player for the Black Caps going forward and Rachin Ravindra can be vital for the team given his all-around ability in the ODI format of the game.
The Black Caps had put on an outstanding display with the ball as they restricted the England side to 282 runs in their 50 overs. Matt Henry was the standout bowler for the Black Caps with the ball as he picked up three wickets in his 10 overs and part-time bowler Glenn Philips impressed everyone with crucial wickets in the middle overs.
With Will Young being dismissed early on, Rachin Ravindra grabbed the opportunity with both hands in the absence of their skipper. He took just 36 balls to reach his fifty and did so with a beautiful six off Moeen Ali. They continued to attack the English bowling as Conway changed his approach and reached his fifty in 36 balls.
The opener’s knock, which included 13 boundaries and two sixes, helped him achieve his hundred in just 83 balls. Conway became the last player to get a hundred on the opening day of an ODI World Cup, becoming the fifteenth player to do so after Aaron Finch in 2015.
The Kiwis have the tournament with an emphatic win over England in the World Cup opener. After reaching the finals of the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, New Zealand will want to advance further in the ODI World Cup in 2023.
The team has consistently advanced to the knockout stage of ICC competitions since 2015, displaying excellent performance against top-tier teams, and would gain a lot of confidence from the win over the Jos Buttler-led side on Thursday.
