‘A great few days here in Chennai’ - Rachin Ravindra reflects on his preparation ahead of India Tests

Star New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra is hard at work preparing for the upcoming Tests in the subcontinent. He last played a Test in India in 2021, where he was still finding his way within the squad. However, during the last year, Ravindra has established himself as one of the best players in the Black Caps’ arsenal. 

He had a breakthrough campaign in the ODI World Cup 2023, where he scored 578 runs and won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award. Furthermore, he recently slammed his maiden Test ton as well, against South Africa in Mount Maunganui.

Over the course of the upcoming months, New Zealand is set to play six Test matches in the subcontinent. one against Afghanistan, two in Sri Lanka, and three in India, and Ravindra will surely play a crucial role in his side’s success. 

Currently, Ravindra is in Chennai at the at the Chennai Super Kings’ High-Performance Centre where he is training alongside Ben Spears and he came forward to talk about the same as well. 

“It’s been a great few days here in Chennai, being able to acclimatise ourselves in terms of the red and black soil pitches that we might face, when you look at how the guys from the subcontinent bat, they hold their shape for longer in the lower positions they get into. As cricketers from the western side, we are still trying to incorporate that into our spin games,” Ravindra was quoted as saying by The Hindu. 

We can give them a run for their money: Ravindra

It is worth noting that India will take on New Zealand across three Test matches. The games will be held in Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai, with the first Test beginning on October 16 and the third Test beginning on November 1, and talking about the upcoming series, Ravindra was feeling confident that New Zealand can prove to be a challenge for team India.  

“I think it will always be difficult when you play India in a three-match Test series. It shows how good they are as a team, especially in the red-ball format at home. It’s going to be tough, and we will look to take the stuff that we learnt from the last series here. They are a world-class team for a reason, and hopefully, we can give them a run for their money,” he said.