"I'm 100% Kiwi and I'm very proud of my Indian heritage" - Rachin Ravindra opens up about his Indian origin after sparkling century against Australia

The best young superstar of the 2023 World Cup, Rachin Ravindra, spoke about his India roots following another sensational batting display against arch-rivals Australia in Dharamsala on October 28.

Ravindra smashed a blistering 116 off 89 deliveries to help New Zealand almost pull off a record World Cup chase of 289. It was Ravindra's second century of the tournament, following his breathtaking knock of 123* on the opening day against England.

Despite being selected into the World Cup squad as a bowling all-rounder, the southpaw has admirably replaced injured skipper Kane Williamson in the New Zealand top order.

Speaking at the press conference post-game, Rachin Ravindra dismissed any pressure to perform in India because of his Indian roots.

"Oh, well, I think, I've been asked this question a lot, but I guess I'm 100% Kiwi and I'm very proud of my Indian heritage," Ravindra said. "But I guess it's proud to be able to do it in the country where my parents were born and where they grew up and where a lot of my family is.

"But I think, obviously the conditions, it's good for batting and being able to come to India previously on tours and trying to not perfect my game but I try get better. I guess that that helps in a way."

Ravindra is the third leading run-scorer of the World Cup, with 406 runs at an 81.20 average and 107.69 strike rate.

Despite his heroics, New Zealand fell short by five runs off the final ball to drop their second consecutive game. Nevertheless, they remain in pole position to qualify for the semi-final with four wins in six outings.

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"Probably one of the best crowds we've played in India" - Rachin Ravindra

The crowd in Dharamsala witnessed arguably the match of the tournament.

Rachin Ravindra also spoke glowingly about the crowd support for the Kiwis at Dharamsala during their thriller against Australia.

Chasing an improbable 389 for victory, the Black Caps made a real fist of it, much to the delight of the fans at the venue. With most of the crowd backing New Zealand to pull off the miraculous win, the side came within a hit of creating World Cup history.

"I think this was probably one of the best crowds we've played in India and having that sort of fanfare and the response, like how they responded to the game was pretty special, I think," Ravindra said. "As a kid, you always dream of the crowd chanting your name and it was cool to see them do that on multiple occasions even when Aussie were batting and when Nish [Neesham] did his thing at the end.

"So, I think it's always special, you sort of soak in those moments and hopefully we never really take them for granted."

Earlier in the day, Australia was bolstered by the return of opener Travis Head, who smashed a scintillating 109 off 67 deliveries. In partnership with fellow opener David Warner, Australia raced away to 175 in 19 overs before eventually finishing on 388.

Following a dismal start to their 2023 World Campaign with two losses, the five-time champions have bounced back to win their next four matches to be on their way to semi-final qualification.