"He honed his skills for upto six hours a day" - Rachin Ravindra's first-class coach after his 123* in 2023 World Cup opener

Former New Zealand and Wellington Firebirds coach Glenn Pocknall was arguably one of the proudest when Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra ran riot against England on Thursday, October 5.

The duo smashed 152* and 123* respectively as the Kiwis thumped the defending champions by nine wickets in Ahmedabad to get off to a solid start in the 2023 World Cup. Pocknall has worked with both of them and had no doubt that they would go on to become star players.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, here's what Glenn Pocknall had to say about what sets the likes of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra apart and the traits that he found in them:

"Definitely, their willingness to be challenged and openness to train differently. They are up for anything which is a trait that has helped them prepare for the so many unknowns in the game. So many players will just go along within their comfort zone but these two won’t and it comes as no surprise. to see the feats they achieve."

He further added:

"Devon one day asked me how he could become better prepared to play more consistent faster bowling and that was after a great season so that showed me he was very driven to be the best. From that point after we nailed the technique required the coaches drilled him and put him under so much pressure out of his comfort zone that the improvement happened quickly."

Glenn Pocknall also shed light on how hard Rachin Ravindra worked to ensure his development as a quality all-rounder. Here's what he had to say about the youngster's work ethic:

"I don’t know anyone in NZ that would rival him (Rachin) in this regard. From a very young age, he honed his skills for up to 6 hours a day and that meant training with his dad early in the morning, going to a team training later on, and then having another training session mate at night. Not only the training volume but the clarity and careful consideration of the areas he wanted to be strong in."

Although Pocknall is not the coach of the Wellington Firebirds now, he still remains in contact with both Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra and takes pride in whatever they have been achieving.

"I’ve had a long association with them, firstly when Devon moved to NZ and secondly, with Rachin being just a teenager when he came into our system as a rookie player so with that time it creates a strong bond and relationship where you work together so naturally we’ll always stay in touch and I’ll support them wherever I can," he added.

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Glenn Pocknall had given Rachin Ravindra his chance at No. 3

While many would feel that Rachin Ravindra was a makeshift No. 3 in New Zealand's World Cup opener, Glenn Pocknall knew the potential of the youngster quite a long time ago.

Pocknall has been working with Ravindra since the 2017/18 first-class season, giving him his first chance in List A cricket for Wellington, and that too in the No. 3 role. That's perhaps why the former Firebirds coach wasn't surprised with the way the young southpaw dominated the England bowlers. On this, he stated:

"It was incredible but a role that he’s played for 4-5 years at domestic level successfully so from that point of view it’s a role he’s comfortable with. He’s maturity though allowed it to translate to the highest stage."

He further added:

"Just really happy for them both (Conway & ravindra). Not only are they great players but they are both very selfless in the fact that they will always look to help others out in a team environment and it’s this type of attitude which has helped, enabled them to achieve what they have."

Once Kane Williamson is back, New Zealand could be tempted to play Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra as openers.