[ad_1]
While New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway were on a smashing spree against England in the first World Cup match a week ago, the Adiga family back in their Bengaluru’s Wilson Garden house were soaking in excitement, enjoying every bit of Ravindra’s performance and brimming with pride.
After the Kiwi star became the talk of the town in the cricketing world, Dr TA Balakrishna Adiga has been showered with congratulatory notes and wishes over his grandson’s stupendous performance. Adiga (72) is now more than thrilled to see his grandson play live at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on November 4 against Pakistan. Ravindra smashed the ton in front of his parents at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad last week.
“The way Rachin made use of the opportunity against England was really fulfilling. I enjoyed every ball and every shot of his. The moment he scored the century, we were jumping in joy. From the classic cover drive to the daring sixes, he was flawless throughout the game. Now I am more than thrilled to see him play live in Bengaluru against Pakistan,” said Adiga, a retired principal of Vijaya College in Bengaluru. Interestingly cricketing icons Vijay Bharadwaj and Venkatesh Prasad are students of Adiga from Vijaya College.
Adiga recalled that Rachin absorbed cricket right from the start. “Rachin’s father Ravindra was obsessed with cricket. He used to eat, breathe and live cricket. When my son got married and left for Wellington in 1997, he did not want to let go of cricket. Hence he used to train kids in cricket in the neighbourhood. When Rachin was five years old, his father started teaching cricket. That’s how Rachin inherited cricket from his father. In fact, Conway and Rachin played for the same Wellington club called Hutt Hawks and they share a good rapport even off the field,” said Adiga, who is a freelance science writer. Ravindra’s first name is a portmanteau of cricketing legends Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
Most Read
Although Adiga finds it difficult to regularly keep in touch with Rachin given the latter’s commitment, he spends his full time with his grandson whenever he comes to Bengaluru. “Rachin visits Bengaluru quite often for practice matches. He will make sure to visit my home and his other grandparent’s house in ISRO Layout. He spends time talking to us, his cousins and also plays cricket with his cousins in front of our house. He loves to eat south Indian food and whenever he comes to our house, he will not leave without savouring dosae,” said Adiga. “Whenever we talk I always motivate him to shine in whatever he does.”
Adiga is in a bittersweet dilemma ahead of the New Zealand-India face-off on October 22 in Dharamshala. “While I want Rachin to be at his best, I want India to win,” he said. Family members were anxious about his entry into the playing 11 against England in the first World Cup match.
Ravindra was part of New Zealand’s squads for the 2016 and 2018 Under-19 World Cup tournaments. After the 2018 edition, the International Cricket Council named Ravindra as the rising star of the squad. In the opening match against England, batting at no. 3, he became the fourth Kiwi player to score a century on World Cup debut. Completed in 82 balls, this was also the fastest World Cup century by a New Zealand player. Also, along with Conway, he registered the fourth highest partnership in World Cup history, and helped his team beat the defending champions.
[ad_2]
Source link
