Rachin Ravindra and the rest of his New Zealand teammates aren’t too sure about the Dubai pitch. That, even after their last group-phase game of this Champions Trophy against India, which they lost by 44 runs.
In that game, Rachin was dismissed even before spin was introduced, falling to Hardik Pandya. But thereafter, barring Kane Williamson, the other Black Caps batsmen had a tough time against India’s spin quartet, especially Varun Chakravarthy who took 5/42.
For sure Varun will occupy a fair amount of space in the New Zealanders’ minds, while it goes without saying that the conditions at the Dubai International Stadium for Sunday’s Champions Trophy final will be favouring India. The role of the New Zealand top order thus assumes a lot of significance if they are to raise their prospects of winning the crown for the second time since 2000.
Obviously, Williamson’s role again becomes vital, but so too does Rachin’s. Not just in terms of providing New Zealand the much-needed thrust in the Powerplay, but also putting pressure back on the Indian spinners.
Having finished as New Zealand’s top run-getter (256 runs) in their 3-0 Test series sweep on Indian soil last year, Rachin isn’t really unfamiliar with India’s spin group. Going into the final with a fluent century against South Africa in the semi-final, his second in this edition, Rachin should certainly be well-placed so far as confidence goes.
And if set, his spontaneity and fluency in terms of strokeplay will do well to strengthen New Zealand’s position. But will he be able to tackle Varun’s guile?
The leg-spinner, who’s relying largely on overspin lately and rarely bowls the classical leg-spin, will most likely mix it up with his variations such as the googly, one that comes into the left-hander, and the faster one. That Varun is still fairly new in international cricket also makes it tougher for rival batsmen to take him on.
“I think Rachin’s game plan will have to suit the conditions and from that perspective, sometimes we just need to know the par for the course.
“And if that means he has got to play that particular game where he’s able to handle the spinners with a little more restraint than do the kind of batting he’s known for, then so be it,” Chennai Super Kings (CSK) academy head Sriram Krishnamurthy, whose association with Rachin goes back to 2015, told The Telegraph from Chennai on Thursday.
Rachin’s temperament and an appetite to bat against spinners bode well for the 25-year-old, Krishnamurthy, who has worked with him at Wellington Firebirds and also before New Zealand toured India for last year’s Tests, believes.
“He has got a great appetite to bat and enjoys batting, especially when he’s facing the spinners. Also, there’s that element of temperament which is important even in one-
day cricket. So, I think Rachin is not fazed by pressure as much as some others are,” the CSK academy head coach emphasised.
“Besides, if you’re able to have a front-foot game, a back-foot game and can employ the sweep to good effect, which Rachin has, it becomes a little harder for bowlers to bottle you up. I feel that’s where he would stand out, in the sense that he has got different options for different bowlers.
“On the given day, if he’s clear about his plans and is able to execute, I think that would be the difference between him having a good contribution as against not,” Krishnamurthy pointed out.
