A new star on the Kiwi horizon
THE NEW ZEALAND CRICKET TEAM HAS AN ALL-ROUNDER WHOSE ROOTS ARE IN INDIA. WE BRING YOU MORE ABOUT THE RISING STAR, RACHIN RAVINDRA
The 20-man New Zealand Test cricket squad bound for England includes Rachin Ravindra, whose parents migrated from India.
“Rachin is born and bred in New Zealand and is a Kiwi, but he’s proud of our Indian heritage,” says his father, Ravi Krish, speaking exclusively to DC over telephone from New Zealand.
“He has got the best of both worlds,” says Krish. “He’s a regular visitor to India during the winters here, to hone his cricketing skills and gain experience playing in India. He has visited Anantapur (RDT), Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mysore and a few other places consistently over the last 10-plus years.”
“Representing New Zealand with an Indian heritage is a huge honour and a privilege,” the proud father affirms. “To make the Black Caps team is not an easy task, given the number of world class players in the team. Just being around them is a great honour.”
Krish accepted a job offer in New Zealand, and brought his family over. “New Zealand is an amazing country, and we made it our home instantly. The ease with which people embraced us, the cultural diversity and the help that the locals extended when we first migrated convinced us there is no better place to be and raise kids. Even today we feel extremely privileged to be living in New Zealand,” he says.
Talking of his son’s cricketing career, Krish says Rachin loved the sport from childhood. “There was cricket all along at home, I was a cricket fanatic and followed cricket from all around the world. I suppose that was a natural influence for Rachin and he enjoyed playing cricket and watching cricket on TV. He would expect me to throw him balls in the backyard for hours and his favourite pastime was cricket as soon as he learnt to walk. To this day I help him with his training but cannot claim I did everything for him,” says Krish. As a child, Rachin had heart murmurs, and had to cut back on sports. But after three years of consistent monitoring and the help of doctors he was cleared of any heart issues when he was about 4 years old. “I vividly remember the question he asked when doctors told him he was completely normal — ‘Now I can play cricket all day without time restrictions?’ — That was quite an emotional time for our family,” Krish reminisces. “Behind every sportsman there’s got to be a supportive family and ours was no different. Deepa, my wife, has to be given major credit for that,” he says, and elaborates on the practical difficulties of taking Rachin for net practice on cold winter mornings in Wellington. Asserting that as parents, they insisted that studies come first, Krish says Rachin was good at studies, but was consistent about practice both before and after school. “The strict schedule followed since he was around 5 years old continues even now, when Rachin does not have any playing assignments,” he says, adding, “My daughter Aisiri is not interested in the game, and treats Rachin no differently because of his successes. This helps him keep his perspective on life and not get carried away.”
Krish also credits his employers, Datacom Systems Ltd., for the support they continue to give him to nurture his son’s career. “The work-life balance in New Zealand is amazing and we can fully commit to our families without compromising on work,” he avers.
Rachin’s father is chairman of, Hutt Hawks, a club team that tours other countries to play cricket. They have done many tours to India with close to 300 cricketers and their parents. This has also played a big part in Rachin’s development.
On a lighter note, when asked why he named his son Rachin and not Sachin, Krish said, “There’s only one Sachin!”
So, when India plays against NZ in the World Test Championship, which team will the family support? “New Zealand,” comes the prompt response. “New Zealand has been our home for the last 20plus years and we are well and truly Kiwis at heart.” But Krish is quick to add, “We are still very proud of our Indian heritage which I guess will live within us forever.”
“Representing New Zealand with an Indian heritage is a huge honour and a privilege. To make the Black Caps team is not an easy task, given the number of world class players in the team,” the proud father affirms