I'm a complete Kiwi, but proud of my Indian roots: Rachin Ravindra
Ahmedabad (PTI): Rachin Ravindra takes pride in his strong India connect and ethnicity, which only deepened with his maiden ODI ton in the World Cup opener in Ahmedabad, but the all-rounder considers himself a "complete Kiwi" just like teammate Devon Conway.
Born to Indian parents in Wellington, Ravindra has his family roots in Bengaluru, while Conway migrated to New Zealand from South Africa in 2017 for better cricketing opportunities.
And on Thursday, Ravindra (123 not out off 96 balls) and Conway (152 not out off 121) hammered England's bowling attack into submission to power New Zealand to a comfortable nine-wicket win over the defending champions.
"We're both sort of Kiwis now. I was born in New Zealand and my family's from India, but I completely see myself as a Kiwi and obviously very proud of my roots and my ethnicity," Ravindra said at the post-match press conference on Thursday.
"I think Devon (Conway) would be the same. I think he's sort of adopted New Zealand as his home for the last 5-6 years and I'd say he's completely Kiwi. So, I mean, being able to win a game for your nation is always special," he added.
Chasing England's 282 for 9, the duo shared an unbeaten 273, the fourth-highest partnership for any wicket, to canter to victory in 36.2 overs.
Talking about the scintillating partnership with Conway, Ravindra said the plan was to keep things simple.
"It was just (about) trying to keep it pretty simple. I think the way me and Dev (Conway) sort of went about it, being able to check in with each other ball after ball and making sure what's important stays important," he said.
"The process and your routines, as opposed to just blindly trying to take someone down or do something rash."
Ravindra was named after two Indian cricket icons -- Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, whom he idolises.
His first name Rachin was derived from 'Ra' of Rahul Dravid and 'chin' of Sachin Tendulkar.
"I think those two (Dravid and Tendulkar) are pretty special cricketers," he said.
"Obviously, I've heard a lot of stories and watched a lot of footage. I guess the influence from my parents and my dad, sort of, and the old-school Indian cricketers was pretty cool.
"Being able to watch a lot of their highlights and stuff obviously, I idolise Sachin Tendulkar, I think a lot of people do. I think the way he batted, his technique was beautiful to watch," he added.
Tendulkar may be his idol but Ravindra also also likes Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara, both of whom were left-handers like him.
"I guess being (a) lefty, there's guys you look at. I love (Brian) Lara, I love (Kumar) Sangakkara, just the usual gun left-handers but Tendulkar is definitely the idol," he shared.
Ravindra smashed the century on Thursday in front of his parents who were present at the Narendra Modi Stadium here.
"It was nice to have my parents there watching and they flew over from New Zealand. It's cool to have that moment and obviously it's always nice coming to India," said the 23-year-old all-rounder.
"A hundred is always special, but I guess in terms of being able to perform in India is pretty cool. I think, like you said, it's cool to have Indian roots.
"I have a sense of family connection whenever I'm in Bangalore. Being able to see my grandparents and stuff, so yeah, it's pretty cool," he added.
But the start of the match was not that good for Ravindra as he gave away 76 runs out of England's 282 from his 10 overs of left-arm spin.
Ravindra said he spends a lot of time with specialist New Zealand spinners to hone his bowling skills.
"I work very closely with Mitchell (Santner) and Ish (Sodhi). I think those two are incredible bowlers, obviously GP (Glenn Phillips) as well. Being able to lean on those guys is pretty cool," he said.
"I think Santner is a world-class spinner and obviously Ish is a very, very close mate of mine, so we're able to talk a lot of cricket."
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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