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The last time New Zealand triumphed over India in an Indian Test match, prior to Sunday, was in 1988. At Wankhede Stadium, Michael Bracewell’s uncle John played in that game and hit a six-for in the fourth inning. At that time, Michael hadn’t even been born. Ajaz Patel, who was just over a month old at the time, was the only member of New Zealand’s current Test team who wasn’t.
Thirty-six years after Mumbai, New Zealand eventually emerged victorious in another Test match in India, and Ravindra was at the centre of it all, making a brilliant century in the first innings and then calmly scoring 39 off 46 balls in the midst of growing anxiety about a meagre run chase. At the Chinnaswamy, New Zealand and Ravindra had committed the unimaginable.
After announcing his arrival in India around this time last year, Ravindra amassed 578 runs in ten games, tying Kane Williamson for the most runs scored by a New Zealander in a single men’s ODI World Cup. Taking Williamson’s place, Ravindra fulfilled his promise as New Zealand’s batting spearhead going forward.
He was batting at No. 6 in Twenty20 Internationals and even lower in Tests when India first faced Ravindra in 2021. Because of his versatility as a left-arm spinner, he was able to make his red-ball debut in Kanpur. He managed to salvage a tie against an attack that featured R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel while batting at No. 8 in the fourth innings on day five with Ajaz by his side.
Another wave of young, extremely gifted batters is developing, and cricket is trending towards a new generation. Harry Brook, according to Ben Stokes, can duplicate Virat Kohli’s performance across all formats. Yashasvi Jaiswal, according to Rohit Sharma, is a “great” player for India. Kamindu Mendis, who is only eight Tests old, has been tearing up the record books for amusement. Ravindra is now discussing cricket’s potential Fab Four.
The confidence Ravindra displayed against India’s spinners was the most noticeable feature of his Bengaluru batting. The majority of foreign hitters are frequently forced to choose spinners only off the pitch, stranded in the crease. However, Ravindra is not like other batters from abroad. In the subcontinent, he batted like a subcontinental batsman. He had several scoring alternatives because he was either a right forward or a right back.
Since his age-group days in Wellington, Ravindra has demonstrated a strong back foot. He went to considerable lengths to hone his front-foot game before of New Zealand’s six-Test subcontinent adventure. Arriving in India ahead of the rest of the New Zealand team, he underwent a four-day intensive training camp at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai, where he was required to bat against spin on fields that had previously been used for black and red dirt.
Having conquered what is arguably the toughest challenge in Test cricket right now, scoring big runs while beating India in India, Ravindra is firmly on the path to greatness.