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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AAP slams BJP, calls party's claims about CAG report 'manufactured and baseless'
New Delhi, Jan 12: AAP leader Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday accused the BJP of fabricating false allegations against the Delhi government and dismissed the party's claims about a CAG report as "manufactured and baseless."
Responding to the BJP's claims about the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, Kakkar alleged during a press conference here that the report presented by the BJP was not authentic and had neither been seen by key stakeholders, including the chief minister and the LG, nor listed on the CAG's official website.
"The report they are showing is fake and manufactured in their office. It holds no credibility. This is the same strategy the BJP uses repeatedly to mislead people with false allegations," Kakkar said.
Referring to previous allegations levelled by the BJP, including those in the liquor policy case, Kakkar claimed even the Supreme Court had dismissed their claims as baseless.
"The Dwarka Expressway project, built under the BJP, was initially estimated to cost Rs 7.5 crore but escalated to Rs 705 crore. Instead of addressing such instances of corruption, the BJP is busy making fake allegations," Kakkar said, adding that the party is filling its own pockets under the guise of schemes like Ayushman Bharat.
Kakkar went on to praise former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, calling him a leader who has transformed Delhi through initiatives like free electricity, water, world-class education, healthcare, and free bus rides for women.
She also dismissed the BJP as a "faceless and directionless party" that thrives on baseless accusations and misinformation.
Earlier in the day, BJP leader Anurag Thakur, during a press conference, claimed that the CAG report had highlighted 10 major findings about the excise policy, which was scrapped by the AAP government amid controversy.
Thakur said former Kejriwal must answer the questions raised by the report. "He will have to explain who pocketed the money," Thakur said, accusing Kejriwal of being the kingpin of the scam.
BJP president J P Nadda claimed the CAG report has exposed intentional lapses, leading to a loss of Rs 2,026 crore to the exchequer.
Nadda said on X, "Intoxicated by power, high on misgovernance. 'AAP'DA model of loot in full display and that too on something like liquor."
He said it is just a matter of a few weeks before the AAP government is voted out and punished for its misdeeds.
"The CAG Report on 'Liquorgate' exposes @ArvindKejriwal and @AamAadmiParty Gov. Intentional 'Lapses' in Policy Implementation. Rs 2026 Cr Loss to Exchequer money," he alleged.
The then chief minister Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case of alleged corruption in framing the excise policy, which was later scrapped.
Both were released on bail after spending months behind bars.
Intoxicated by power, high on misgovernance.
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) January 11, 2025
‘AAP’DA model of loot in full display and that too on something like liquor.
Just a matter of a few weeks before they are voted out and punished for their misdeeds.
CAG Report on 'Liquorgate' exposes @ArvindKejriwal and…
Visionless, Faceless BJP, जब मुंह खोलती है झूठ बोलती है। pic.twitter.com/CPmSeKmygC
— Priyanka Kakkar (@PKakkar_) January 11, 2025
CAG की तथाकथित फर्जी रिपोर्ट को BJP दिल्ली में कर रही फैलाने की कोशिश | AAP Spokesperson @PKakkar_ की महत्वपूर्ण प्रेसवार्ता | LIVE https://t.co/6nNwUVesGW
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 11, 2025
