New Zealand's top wicket-taker Rachin Ravindra makes heads turn — now with his bowling

NEW DELHI: Do you still remember what happened to New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra in IPL 2024? Spin chewed his batting up and spat it out. And the situation became so severe that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were forced to drop him mid-way through the season.

As they say, time is the best healer. And for Ravindra, it has surely become one.

Spin, once Ravindra's archnemesis, has inflicted the same pain on batters who have padded up to face the Kiwi during this T20 World Cup, with his fingers doing all the talking with the ball.

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Emerging as his team's top-wicket taker (11) in this edition, Ravindra is now seeing things differently. While his batting pedigree initially dominated the limelight, two more dismissals in the final against India will be enough to make him New Zealand's joint highest wicket-taker in an edition of the tournament.

A single dismissal will result in Ravindra surpassing Daniel Vettori as the Black Caps' most successful spinner in a T20 World Cup campaign.

If we broaden the scale a bit, the left-arm finger spinner has accounted for 11 dismissals in 8 matches at an economy rate of 6.88, trailing the edition's most successful spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Adil Rashid by just two wickets.

'Impact, role similar to Yuvraj Singh in WC 2011'

While Ravindra's heroics may have caught the opposition and fans by surprise, Sriram Krishnamurthy, the global head coach of CSK academy, certainly isn't one of them. Krishnamurthy, who has worked extensively with the 26-year-old cricketer, highlighted his bowling as one of the standout aspects from the beginning, terming it as something which came very naturally.

"Rachin is very good at reading the game. He's not someone who bowls a lot during practice sessions. Yet, when he takes the ball, you know he'll be able to do some special things. Rachin has excelled with the ball in the MLC and the Hundred, which makes his current performances no surprise. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has used him very well," said Sriram during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.


"Every spell of Rachin has left an impact. One of the most noteworthy aspects has been the manner in which he has struck against left-handed batters, being a lefty spinner in an unfavourable match-up, which especially stood out in the semi-final against South Africa with David Miller's dismissal. I don't think many people would disagree that his impact and role has been similar to that of Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup," he added.


Ravindra has provided an edge to the New Zealand bowling attack, with his shrewd gameplay and quality preparation, which first reflected in the opener against Afghanistan in Chennai. The 26-year-old all-rounder was handed the ball in the 18th over, which could have backfired massively. However, Rachin kept the ball well out of the batters' reach from the onset, and was duly rewarded with the dismissal of dangerman Gulbadin Naib off his second delivery. The New Zealand cricketer has observed Ravindra Jadeja closely at CSK, resulting in valuable inputs.

'Hard grind in Hyderabad before T20 WC 2026'

Another significant factor behind Rachin's current success is an intense one-month camp in Hyderabad before the T20 World Cup, where the all-rounder worked extensively on hitting the right areas and variations. The New Zealand cricketer trained under ex-Andhra Pradesh captain Syed Shahabuddin, who urged him to bowl stump-to-stump and as per the field placements.


"Ravindra can be lethal with assistance from the wicket, considering his consistency. I had encouraged the CSK team management to give him more opportunities with the ball but he hardly got one to two overs. Santner and the New Zealand think-tank is showing great belief in Ravindra's bowling, which has proved to be a game-changer," shared Shahabuddin.

While the fingerspinner has impressed with his high-impact gameplay, he once lacked agility and speed which hampered effectiveness. Former New Zealand coach Glenn Pocknall played a key role in enabling Ravindra to bowl at a quicker pace and deliver longer spells by developing his strength. The all-rounder showcased great dedication, training for six hours a day.


"I first saw Rachin bowl at 15 and was deeply impressed by his unbelievable control and aura. It is very challenging to face him on flat wickets as well as turning tracks because he can spin the ball hard and into the wicket. Ex-New Zealand spinner Jeetan Patel has guided him extensively and I fully expect Rachin to pose a threat against India," shared Pocknall.

'Varun Chakaravarthy would've picked 15 wickets playing in Sri Lanka'

Chakaravarthy's personal coach AC Prathiban praised Ravindra's tactical astuteness, highlighting the lack of room for batters as well as the crafty use of angles to exploit the longer ends of the ground. However, Prathiban also directed focus towards New Zealand playing a lot of matches in Sri Lanka, where the advantage of bigger boundaries comes into play.

"Jasprit Bumrah and Varun would have picked 15 wickets at least if the Indian team had bowled as much in those conditions. Mishits were going for sixes during the semi-final at the Wankhede. However, credit to Rachin for doing his homework," stated Prathiban.



Ravindra revealed a desire to make a batter's life as hard as possible during an interaction after New Zealand secured a spot in the final, which the Indian juggernaut will be well wary of.