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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'Strong evidence' available against Saif attacker, police tell court while opposing his bail plea
Mumbai, Jul 25 (PTI): Police have opposed the bail plea of the Bangladeshi national arrested for allegedly stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan with a knife and injuring him at his home here in January this year, telling a Mumbai court there was "strong evidence" against the accused.
Citing a Forensic Science Laboratory report, police reiterated before the sessions court their earlier claim knife fragments that got lodged near the actor's spine during the attack as well as a part found at the crime spot have matched with the weapon recovered from the accused, Shariful Islam.
These three pieces were part of the same weapon (knife) used to attack the filmstar, the police said in a written response to the accused's plea submitted in the court on Thursday (July 24).
Khan was repeatedly stabbed with a knife by an intruder inside his 12th floor apartment in upscale Bandra on January 16 during a robbery attempt.
The 54-year-old actor underwent surgery at Lilavati Hospital to remove a piece of knife that got lodged near his spine during the attack. He was discharged from the private hospital after five days.
Shariful Islam, a Bangladeshi national, was arrested two days later for allegedly stabbing Khan.
The police, in their response, highlighted that the accused is a Bangladeshi citizen residing illegally in India.
If granted bail, there was a possibility that he may flee India and not appear before the court during the trial. The crime committed by the accused is of a "very serious nature, and strong evidence" is available against him, they argued.
In his bail plea, filed through advocate Vipul Dushing, the accused asserted he was innocent and had no prior criminal record.
Investigation into the case has practically concluded with only the filing of a chargesheet pending, the accused contended while seeking bail.
The alleged attacker has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections related to house trespass, robbery and dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous injury.
