BENGALURU: New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra said on Monday facing India in Bengaluru in the birth city of his father will be “special” moment with his family cheering in the stands.

The Black Caps begin the three Test match series on Wednesday, but the Wellington-born Ravindra — who called himself “a Kiwi all the way through” — said facing India will be an emotional moment.

“I am very proud of my Indian origin,” the 24-year-old told reporters. “To be able to play where a lot of my family is based is something special.”

Ravindra has played nine Tests since his debut in Kanpur in 2021 and has become a regular in the national team with his swashbuckling batting.

The left-hander enjoyed a prolific ODI World Cup in India last year, and then made an impression in his debut Indian Premier League T20 tournament for Chennai Super Kings.

He called them both “two pretty cool experiences to have”, but said playing a Test was “something different”.

“Test cricket is the pinnacle,” he said, and so it “makes it extra significant because of the family connection” to play in Bengaluru.

“Dad will be here watching,” he said. “Those moments, you pinch yourself on the journey”.

Ravindra, who plays spin well on turning sub-continent pitches, amassed 578 runs including three centuries 10 World Cup matches in 2023.

In the IPL, he scored 222 runs for five-time winners Chennai, at a strike-rate of over 160.

Having experienced cricket in India, he said he was eager for the challenge ahead.

“We know how passionate the Indian people are about cricket”, he said, praising the “hype and the buzz” around the game — and that he was “excited to have a fully fledged three-match series” to play.

But New Zealand face a stiff challenge.

India, led by Rohit Sharma, remain firm favourites after their recent 2-0 sweep of Bangladesh and will look to consolidate their position at the top of the World Test Championship table.

The hosts handed a bruising defeat to Bangladesh in the final Test, where more than two days were lost due to rain.

“We want to be a team that can make 400 runs in a day, and bat for two days to draw,” India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir said. “That’s called growth, that’s called adaptability — and that’s called Test cricket.”

New Zealand are on the last leg of their sub-continent tour, which started with a washout against Afghanistan near New Delhi.

The Kiwis then lost 2-0 in Sri Lanka after going down in a hard-fought opener.

But Gambhir urged caution from India, saying New Zealand should not be underestimated.

“New Zealand is a completely different challenge. We know that they’re a very, very good team,” he said. “We know they’ve got some really high-quality players. They’ve got players who can hurt us.”

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2024