“Wasn’t named with the intention” – Rachin Ravindra’s father says he wasn’t named after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid 

Ahead of the much-awaited 2023 World Cup semifinal between India and New Zealand, Kiwi all-rounder Rachin Ravindra’s father Ravi Krishnamurthy spoke about the origin of his son's name. While many speculated that the player was named after two Indian greats Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, Rachin's father confirmed that it wasn't the case.

In the ongoing World Cup, Ravindra has been seen by many as a local boy due to his roots in Bangalore. The 23-year-old, however, was born in Wellington on November 18, 1999, to parents of Indian origin. His father played club cricket in Bangalore before settling in New Zealand as a software architect in 1997.

Rachin Ravindra is one of the leading run-scorers in his debut ODI World Cup. The left-handed batter has amassed 565 runs in nine matches at an average of 70.62, including three tons and two half-centuries. He scored 75 off 87 balls in his previous outing against India during the league stage. The BlackCaps, though, lost the match by four wickets.

Krishnamurthy told ThePrint:

“When Rachin was born, my wife suggested the name, and we didn’t spend a lot of time discussing it. The name sounded good, was easy to spell, and short, so we decided to go with it. It was only some years later that we realized the name was a mix of Rahul and Sachin’s names. He wasn’t named with the intention to make our child a cricketer or anything of the sort.”

Last month, Ravindra told Star Sports:

“Back in the day, Mom and Dad were deciding about the names and I think one or the other liked Rahul and Sachin. Ra from Rahul and Chin from Sachin but that was sort of a long time ago. Two amazing players, very lucky to be named after them.”

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“Rachin has been great” – Kane Williamson lauds Rachin Ravindra ahead of IND vs NZ 2023 World Cup semifinal clash

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson lavished praise on Rachin Ravindra ahead of the 2023 World Cup semifinal against India at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

“Rachin Ravindra has been great. The way he is scoring has been exceptional,” he told reporters during the pre-match conference.

Williamson recently praised how Ravindra adapted to the opening batter's role . He said, as quoted by the Times of India:

“Very, very special player, and great that he’s on our side. He’s an amazing talent. He just entered the international arena and to walk into a World Cup here in India is incredible in a lot of ways. He has come into a role that perhaps he hasn’t played. Be it opening or top three, what he’s done is amazing.”

The Kiwis will be aiming to repeat their 2019 semifinal heroics against India, where they won by 18 runs, when the two sides meet on November 15.