Dad’s lad all grown up
Flashbacks of hitting plastic cricket balls with his father when barely out of nappies struck Rachin Ravindra as he celebrated his Black Caps test squad callup for a dream England tour.
The 21-year-old allrounder missed the initial phone call from coach and chief selector Gary Stead as he flew home from Auckland with his Wellington Firebirds team-mates on Wednesday, then got the good news confirmed when the plane landed.
‘‘It was pretty short and sharp, pretty exciting for me. I think he [Stead] saw that, and said ‘congratulations’ a few times. It was good to hear from him,’’ Ravindra said at the Basin Reserve, where he clinched selection with an authoritative innings of 138 against Northern Districts on March 27.
If picked for one of two tests against England, or the World Test Championship final against India in June, Ravindra will be New Zealand’s youngest test debutant since a 20-year-old Ish Sodhi against Bangladesh at Chattogram in 2013.
Twice a New Zealand representative at Under-19 World Cups in 2016 and 2018, and a first-class debutant at 18 with NZ A, Ravindra was long tipped as a Black Cap-in-waiting by learned Wellington cricket folk and his national under-19 coach Bob Carter.
Father Ravi Krishnamurthy is a cricketing identity in the capital, and originally from Bengaluru. He helped fund an annual Hutt Hawks tour to India for promising players, and got his son’s plaudits for endless throwdown sessions and mentoring over the years.
‘‘My family’s probably the biggest [influence]. My Mum [Deepa] has been incredibly supportive and my sister’s always been there and Dad has been my coach since I was 2-3 years old. Nice to be able to share the journey with them.’’
Ravindra’s family and girlfriend were the first he told after Stead’s call, before the news was announced yesterday.
Even though he was on the fast track, this callup to a 20-man Black Caps squad was touch and go after he dived and fell awkwardly on the Basin Reserve during a Super Smash game on January 25.
A pained Ravindra was assisted off with a dislocated right shoulder, which previously required surgery while at Hutt International Boys’ School four years ago.
He faced an immediate, season-ending operation and nine months on the sidelines, but on medical advice worked in the gym to strengthen it instead, and was back in a matter of two months.
After one club match for Hutt District, Ravindra cut loose in his 138 including some booming