"Find of this decade" - Fans hail Rachin Ravindra for his maiden Test double century in the series opener against South Africa

New Zealand youngster Rachin Ravindra continued his purple patch by scoring his maiden Test double century in the first Test of the two-match series against South Africa at Mount Maunganui.

The 24-year-old became only the fourth Kiwi batter to convert his maiden Test century into a double-ton after Martin Donnelly, Mathew Sinclair, and Devon Conway. Playing only his fourth Test, Ravindra finished with a sparkling 240 off 366 deliveries to help New Zealand mount a massive score of 511 in their first innings.

With 26 boundaries and three sixes, the southpaw delighted the home fans and notched the 12th-highest Test score by a New Zealand batter.

It comes on the back of the youngster capturing the cricketing world with his stunning display at the 2023 ODI World Cup. Ravindra finished as the fourth-highest scorer of the tournament with 578 runs at an average of 64.22 and a strike rate of 106.44, including three centuries.

Among several records, the young star also leveled with Kane Williamson for the highest single-edition tally by a Kiwi batter in ODI World Cups.

Ravindra hadn't displayed much of note in his first three Tests with bat or ball, averaging only 14.60 with the willow and over 62 on the bowling front. However, his career with the bat has taken off since the showpiece event in India.

His latest heroics had fans on Twitter buzzing, with several hailing the youngster as the next superstar of World cricket.

Here are some of the best reactions:

"Real 'pinch-me' moment" - Rachin Ravindra on partnership with Kane Williamson

New Zealand v South Africa - Men's 1st Test: Day 1

Rachin Ravindra was delighted to share a game-changing double-century partnership with his idol Kane Williamson, calling it a 'pinch-me' moment after Day 1 of the first Test.

Williamson is New Zealand's all-time leading run-scorer in Tests with 8,381 runs at an average of 54.77, including a remarkable 30 centuries.

At the press conference after the close of play on the opening day, Ravindra said of his partnership with Williamson:

"Playing alongside Kane is always very special. Sharing the crease with someone I idolise so much, life has come full circle for me. It's a real 'pinch-me' moment. Seeing him go about his business as usual, with his calmness and timing, and the positions he gets himself into, it was pure batting bliss. As a lover of New Zealand cricket, seeing him still score Test hundreds is unbelievable."

The duo came together with the Blackcaps in trouble at 39/2 and added a sensational 232 runs for the third wicket. The partnership was the cornerstone around which the hosts built their massive first-innings score of 511.