‘I am fortunate,’ says New Zealand hero Ravindra after ‘surreal’ World Cup experience

New Zealand's World Cup hero Rachin Ravindra now has a new challenge ahead as he is gearing up for a Test comeback. The southpaw last played a Test in January 2022 where Bangladesh notched up a famous win in Mount Maunganui.

"Test cricket is the pinnacle of cricket. It's always great to have an opportunity to play and be involved with the squad. I loved my first experience in Test cricket and I'm excited to see how my game has evolved and join the squad," he said.

Ravindra is part of New Zealand's five-man spin attack for the Test series against Bangladesh and he intends to learn the trade from experienced campaigners like Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel and Ish Sodhi. 

"We've got a seriously good spin group. [I'll look to] learn a lot from these guys, especially Ajaz [Patel], Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi who have a lot of experience, and see how they go about it and still do it my own way. We are all different bowlers in our own right. It's nice to have that balance," Ravindra stated.

Ravindra and his fellow spinners have been training under spin legend Saqlain Mushtaq who has a lot of knowledge about the conditions and the team, having been Bangladesh's spin-bowling coach a few years ago.

"Saqi has been massive. I had the opportunity to work with him during the Pakistan series in April-May. It's nice to link up with him again. He has been of massive help for me and the other spinners in the group with his wisdom."

Ravindra was the find of the recently-concluded World Cup where he was New Zealand's leading run-getter. 

"We miss the comforts of home but it's always cool to travel countries and represent your own nation and play the game you love for a living,"

"It's been surreal. All these happened so quickly. I am really fortunate to be here and learn from these guys and hopefully I will continue to do so," he concluded.