New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra‘s fan-following has soared through the roof as the Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign has progressed. As the Kiwis all but sealed a spot in the semi-finals of the tournament, setting up a date with hosts India, Ravindra visited his grandparents in Bengaluru. In a video that has surfaced on social media, Ravindra’s grandmother seems to be doing the ‘nazar utarna‘ ritual for the batter, going the traditional way to ensure the young star going further in his career after early stardom.
In the video, it can be seen that Rachin’s grandmother is performing the ritual while the Kiwi star is seated on a sofa. The video has gone viral on social media.
Rachin has been one of New Zealand’s most consistent performers in the World Cup so far. After his team’s dominant win against Sri Lanka, Rachin talked about his journey of breaking into the national team and living his childhood dream as the crowd at M Chinnaswamy stadium chanted his name.
“It’s a pretty surreal feeling. Grateful for the support, especially playing in Bangalore. The crowd chanting my name is something I will never take for granted. Dreamt of it as a child. Very happy to be here, lucky enough it worked out. Six to 12 months ago, I was not even in the frame. Good to get the job done and get into the playoffs. Lucky enough to have come here in my teenage years on club tours. That has helped me a lot. Nice wickets to bat on. If you play positive cricket, you get rewarded. The guys have adapted well. You talk to Kane, Devon, who are legends,” Rachin said.
After the match against Sri Lanka, where Ravindra scored 42 runs, he spoke about idolising Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson.
“It’s a funny one. I have idolised Kane. I have idolised a lot like Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, Joe Root. But Kane… his leadership, on and off the field, just keeps it calm. When you are young, you take the game on, lucky to have come off,” he said.
