Rachin Ravindra and ICC competitions have an unexplainable connection. After being unexpectedly promoted to the top order during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, the powerful left-hander gained notoriety and hasn’t looked back.
The Black Caps defeated the Proteas by 50 runs to advance to the final on Wednesday, March 5, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. On the way to his fifth ODI century, all of which came in ICC events, Ravindra displayed yet another display of precise strokeplay.
In addition to Ravindra, star batsman Kane Williamson scored a ton as New Zealand broke the previous mark for the highest total in the history of the Champions Trophy. At the post-match press conference, Ravindra was unable to contain his joy as he reflected on his innings and the team’s overall batting effort.
“It is always a great feeling to contribute to the team,” he stated. “It is very satisfying and I couldn’t be happier, especially after a fairly decisive victory in a semi-final.
“I didn’t get off to the best start I could have. I was somewhat constrained by South Africa’s excellent bowling performance. However, forming a partnership with Kane after first with Youngy [Will Young] was pleasant. The ability to collaborate with the guys on the team was the biggest assistance to me.
“I will keep working through the ebbs and flows of one-day cricket because in an innings where you face over 100 balls, you are bound to scratch around for a little bit, so it was nice to have the guys out there to help me.”
Ravindra’s 164-run partnership with Williamson laid the groundwork for New Zealand’s hitters to celebrate on a level field. The 25-year-old disclosed that at the beginning of their collaboration, the two had not considered such a significant score. New Zealand appeared to be aiming for a total between 320 and 330, but they managed to score an additional 30 to 40 runs thanks to their incredible finish.
He went on, “We were thinking around the 300-run mark,” “The pitch sounded a little sluggish. The way [South Africa] bowled those cutters caused them to bounce a lot because they were holding a little.
“So, we were anticipating [300 runs], but Kane suddenly began to accelerate so well that we assumed there was more to come. Then GP [Glenn Phillips] and Daz [Daryl Mitchell] gave it their all, and those fellas made sure we reached 360.”
Despite the surface being docile, New Zealand ended up with a total that was obviously above-par since they had that cushion of runs. Mitchell Santner, the skipper, made reference to this fact while praising the Ravindra-Williamson collaboration.
In the opening innings, it held up rather well, but Rachin and Williamson established the tone, and the players who finished it added the cherry on top,” Santner said. “That collaboration was crucial for us; he (Williamson) persevered during the middle stretch, and despite South Africa’s challenges, we managed to capitalize and score 360. We thought 320 might not be sufficient.
Early in the chase, New Zealand’s bowlers’ defensive prowess was once again evident as they stifled South Africa’s effort. Santner set the standard with a stellar 3-43 spell that saw Heinrich Klaasen, Rassie van der Dussen, and Temba Bavuma all taken out.
The left-arm spinner effectively employed his toolkit to deny the hitters any opportunity to score runs. Santner’s delivery to castle van der Dussen was arguably amongst the finest deliveries of the tournament while taking out spin specialist Klaasen was a potential game-killer. Once again, his spin twin, Michael Bracewell, had a great day out.
“We made it difficult for the opponents by taking wickets in the middle overs. We all agree to put pressure on the ball and take wickets in the middle. In the previous game, Michael Bracewell took a 4-fer with some excellent bowling. I took three scalps today, which was incredibly satisfying. We have four all-rounders who can bat and bowl spin, which makes my job easier,” Santner added.
Santner’s opponent, Bavuma, acknowledged that his side was likely unable to realistically catch 362. Van der Dussen and the opener both reached fifty as they contributed 105 for the second wicket to try to provide a basis for the run chase. Even though van der Dussen started moving more quickly, Bavuma was sluggish to get going and lacked the tempo needed for the pursuit in general.
But before getting lost in the middle overs, the South African captain maintained that his team was preparing well for the chase. “Rassie and I were still batting at 125/1. Regretfully, we were unable to provide them with that basis,” Bavuma stated.
Rassie received a better dismissal than I did, and ultimately, we left too much for them. We needed to be more decisive, not allow the opponents a chance to rally, and be merciless, as I stated at the outset when I claimed that we were 125/1. We had to attend to the game’s crucial moments.
The bowlers from South Africa had a very unhappy day since they were all thrashed all over the ground. Bavuma thought that the Proteas were harmed by their inability to disrupt New Zealand’s partnerships since, except from Aiden Markram’s part-time spin, none of their bowlers had reasonable stats. The Black Caps maintained a steady pace throughout their innings and made sure they didn’t lose wickets in spurts.
“Today, we had a few of partnerships, but we needed Rassie or me to continue and take after two of their batters. Their ability to hit the off-side at the beginning and their performance in the middle overs put us under a lot of strain right away. Bravo to them, and kudos to their batters, Williamson and Rachin, as well as the batters that came in, Phillips and Mitchell,” Bavuma said.
