Former Indian spinner Anil Kumble said that young New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra reminds him of a young Yuvraj Singh after his brilliant century against the defending champions England in the opening match of World Cup 2023.
As New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was ruled out of the tournament opener against England, Rachin Ravindra got the opportunity to bat at the crucial number three spot for his side and the youngster put on an impressive display of his batting skills with an unbroken score of 123 runs off just 96 balls on his World Cup debut.
Speaking to Cricinfo, Anil Kumble hailed the young Rachin Ravindra for his exceptional batting against England and also recalled his fantastic knock against Pakistan in the Warm-up game and said that he reminds him of young Yuvraj Singh, who went on to achieve many things in the game for India.
“We saw what he’s capable of in that warm-up game (against Pakistan) when he opened the batting. But this was very special, you know, in his World Cup debut against the defending champions to back the way he did. This was my first sort of treat of Rachin Ravindra. He looks a bit like Yuvraj Singh, a young Yuvraj Singh in his flow. Very elegant. So wonderful,” Anil Kumble said.
New Zealand defeated England with a dominating nine-wicket victory with the combined efforts of the bowlers and the partnership the Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. The pair successfully chased down a target of 283 with 82 balls remaining which largely boosted their net run-rate in the tournament.
The Blackcaps victory was greatly aided by Conway and Ravindra’s century on their ODI World Cup debut and their combination with Conway produced an unbroken 273-run stand, which helped New Zealand to open their account in the marquee event and the duo would look to continue their fine going forward in the tournament.
