Rachin Ravindra slammed a stunning century against Australia in Dharamsala.
Batting at No. 3, the southpaw smashed 116 off 89 balls in the mammoth chase of 389. Thanks to his ton, the Kiwis nearly overhauled the target, scoring 383/9 in their allotted 50 overs.
It was Rachin’s second hundred in this World Cup. He has also hit a couple of half-centuries. However, the knock in Dharamsala will remain etched in his memory for a lifetime as the crowd cheered for the stylish left-hander with “Rachin, Rachin” chants.
"As a kid you always dream of the crowd chanting your name and it was cool to see them do that on multiple occasions even when Aussies were batting and when Nish [Neesham] did his thing at the end.
"So, I think it's always special, you sort of soak in those moments and hopefully we never really take them for granted," said Rachin, whose name was inspired by Indian cricket legends Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar
"I think this was probably one of the best crowds we've played in India and having that sort of fanfare and the response, like how they responded to the game was pretty special, I think," he further stated in the post-match presser.
Rachin admitted that it was disappointing to lose by five runs but having already secured eight points, the Black Caps are still considered as favourites for the semi-final.
"Obviously, it's disappointing when it gets that close and you're chasing such a big total and to come out a little bit short but I think that's the beauty of cricket like you get the highs and lows of it and it was an exciting game, entertained the fans so look we'll move on and review but got to understand there's still a lot of cricket to be played in this World Cup."
Having amassed 400 runs in six games, Rachin has exceeded his own expectations. "I guess you probably look at it at the start and be obviously very grateful to be here and how things have worked out," he said.
Rachin felt batting with the likes of Daryl Mitchell does help his game and said he feeds off the energy of the senior batters.
"I think being able to bat with guys who have so much experience helps a lot. I think, obviously, being able to bat with Daryl, having a little partnership with him and the way he went about his business obviously took a little bit of the attack to them," the 23-year-old said about his approach.
"I could sort of feed him (Daryl) or sort of feed off him and then once he got out it was just like I was reacting to the ball and seeing what was in front of me and lucky enough it was a good wicket to bat on so I could sort of just go out there and play my game."
(With PTI Inputs)