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New Zealand have the knack of producing unheralded superstars in World Cups. It’s Rachin Ravindra for the 2019 runner-up this time as the all-rounder continued his stellar form in the tournament in India to smash his third century, this time against Pakistan, in what is a virtual quarterfinal clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. The left-handed batter notched up a scintillating 108 off 94 and with the knock shattered “idol” Sachin Tendulkar’s unique 27-year-old World Cup record.
Rachin has been a revelation for New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup, having scored three centuries in what is his debut campaign in the showpiece event. He had earlier scored an unbeaten 123 against England in the tournament opener last month in Ahmedabad before notching up 116 against five-time winners Australia in Dharamsala last week. Rachin also has two half-century scores to his name – 51 against Netherlands and 75 against India.
On Saturday, as New Zealand looked to retain their hold over the fourth spot in the points table, Rachin played a stunning knock, en route to which he became the third batter from New Zealand to scored 500 or more runs in a single World Cup edition, joining Kane Williamson, who had amassed 578 runs in 2019, and Martin Guptill, who has scored 547 runs in 2015.
The century, meanwhile, put Rachin atop in New Zealand cricket history as no other batter from the country has ever managed three centuries in a single edition. Glenn Turner (1975), Guptill (2015) and Williamson (2019) have all scored two hundreds apiece. The tally of three tons is also the most by scored by a New Zealand batter overall in World Cup history.
However, the record that stood out in the 23-year-old’s magnificent knock on Saturday was going past the legendary Sachin. The New Zealand star now remains the only batter to have three World Cup centuries to his name before turning 24. Sachin had two to his name, both scored in the 1996 World Cup – 127* against Kenya and 137* against Sri Lanka.
Impressed with the knock, Sehwag hailed the youngster while taking a dig at Pakistan by namedropping Sachin and Rahul Dravid. The New Zealand all-rounder had earlier revealed that he was named after Rahul Dravid and Sachin, with the two first names coming together to form ‘Rachin’.
“Sachin aur Rahul ko aadat rahi hai saalon se Pakistan ko takleef dene ki . Silsila zaari hai (Sachin and Rahul have the habit of troubling Pakistan for years and is continues till date). What an innings by Rachin. Phainta lagaya hai,” Sehwag posted on X.
Rachin’s 108, along with Williamson’s 95 helped New Zealand set up a mighty total of 401 for six against Pakistan.
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