"He is the find of the tournament" - Aakash Chopra lauds Rachin Ravindra's century in AUS vs NZ 2023 World Cup clash

Aakash Chopra has picked Rachin Ravindra as the find of the tournament after his valiant knock in New Zealand's 2023 World Cup loss to Australia.

The Aussies set the Kiwis a mammoth 389-run target after being asked to bat first in Dharamsala in the day game on Saturday, October 28. Ravindra then smashed an 89-ball 116 as the Black Caps lost the game by just five runs.

Reflecting on New Zealand's chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra lauded their fighting effort, particularly Ravindra's knock.

He said:

"When New Zealand got to bat, they kept firing, whether it was Devon Conway, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell or Rachin Ravindra - what a player. By the way, he is the find of the tournament. No one has played better than him in this tournament. So well done Rachin Ravindra."

Check the video below from the 7:00 timestamp:

The former India opener pointed out that James Neesham's blazing knock almost took New Zealand to a win.

He elaborated:

"He was there and Jimmy Neesham was there towards the end. Jimmy Neesham took the team extremely close to a win but it couldn't happen. He got run out in the end. It was a full toss. It would have gone for a six if it had been slightly lower but it didn't happen."

Neesham smoked 58 runs off 39 deliveries. He fell short of the crease while attempting a second run off the penultimate delivery.

His dismissal meant New Zealand needed six runs off the final ball. However, they lost the game as Lockie Ferguson couldn't hit Mitchell Starc out of the park.

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"Did it look like Head was injured?" - Aakash Chopra on Travis Head and David Warner's destructive opening partnership

David Warner and Travis Head strung together a 175-run opening-wicket partnership. [P/C: AP]

Speaking about Australia's batting, Aakash Chopra praised Travis Head and David Warner for their destructive opening partnership.

He stated a bit earlier in the video:

"Warner and Head hit a lot after New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl. Did it look like Head was injured? Did it look like he was playing his first match of the tournament or the first World Cup match of his career?"

Chopra pointed out that New Zealand's mighty bowling attack was taken to the cleaners.

He observed:

"He was batting unbelievably well right from the start. No one told them that it wasn't a T20 but a 50-over match - Warner from one side and Travis Head from the other. New Zealand's extremely fantastic and solid bowling was made minuscule."

While praising Glenn Phillips' effort with the ball, Chopra highlighted that Australia fell short of the total they should have reached.

He explained:

"Catches were also getting dropped. You realized that this team's (New Zealand's) best bowler is a wicketkeeper - Glenn Phillips. It was an extremely strange match. It doesn't happen that a team is bowled out for 388 after nearly a 200-run opening partnership."

While Head smashed 109 runs off 67 deliveries, Warner scored a 65-ball 81. Phillips (3/37) dismissed both openers and Steve Smith to help New Zealand restrict Australia to a chasable total, which eventually proved slightly beyond their reach.