BENGALURU: Resonating across the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday was a chant that sounded like it belonged in another era. Cricket fans in the Garden City have probably lost count of the times they serenaded a certain Master Blaster with chants of ‘Sachin, Sachin’. On Saturday, the rhythm was similar as was the fervour with which they chanted it. The only difference was a change in a single syllable — an R instead of the S.
Few would dispute that Rachin Ravindra has been the find of this World Cup. Over the course of this tournament, the world has discovered both his talent and his story. His name being a mix of Rahul and Sachin, his trips back to India every summer to play club cricket, his Indian grandparents, how he watched the 2019 final from Bengaluru — all that is part of the folklore now.
Now, Ravindra added another chapter to it, this one detailing his grand homecoming to his father’s home city. He might not have been wearing a blue shirt, but the way Bengaluru backed him probably wouldn’t have been any different had he been wearing one.
It began with a roar that echoed around the stadium when he first took strike. It ended with a standing ovation as he walked back after a well-made 108 off just 94 balls. Along the way, every boundary was cheered, the maximum greeted with rapturous applause. Once a Bangalorean, always a Bangalorean!
Along the way, Ravindra scripted a bit of history. At just 23, he became the first New Zealander to score three World Cup hundreds. He also became the first batter to score three hundreds in a maiden World Cup. It is nothing short of remarkable for a player who was perceived as a tailender the last time the Kiwis toured India.
Ravindra got going by hitting Hassan Ali for a boundary behind square, then tormented the same man again in his next over with a cover drive to the off-side boundary. Ravindra then ended Pakistan’s brief experiment of spin during the first power play, smacking Iftikhar Ahmed for a couple of boundaries. Then, after his opening partner Devon Conway departed and captain Kane Williamson came out to bat, Ravindra played second fiddle, rotating the strike with ease while finding the odd boundary. His fifty came off 51 balls with the Kiwis at a very healthy 125/1 after 20 overs.
If there was a bit of hesitancy to his game before his fifty, that disappeared soon. Out from repertoire came all sorts of shots — a well-executed sweep off Ali Agha Salman, a cut off the backfoot off Iftikhar, a pull shot that sent Harris Rauf for a huge 88-metre six that also brought up New Zealand’s 200, even a cheeky helicopter shot that only fetched him a couple of runs.
When Ravindra moved up to 99 with a boundary off Mohammed Wasim Jr, the Chinnaswamy Stadium held its breath. They did not have to wait long as the 23-year-old brought up his third ton of this tournament, getting onto the backfoot and pushing a bouncer past square. There was emotion writ large on his face as he removed his helmet to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd.
Ravindra’s grandparents had said before the match that they would be in the crowd on Saturday, the first time they were going to watch him play in the Black shirt. A hundred in front of them, in a city where his father grew up harbouring cricketing dreams and where he played club cricket as a kid, at a venue where so many legends of the game have raised their bats over the years! It was indeed a special homecoming for Rachin Ravindra!