NEW DELHI: As he returned to action on Monday with a match-winning century that secured his team’s spot in the Champions Trophy semi-finals, Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand hailed his support staff and well-wishers for their care following a bizarre on-field injury.
Ravindra smashed 112 as New Zealand advanced to the semifinals, bringing India with them, with a victory over Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.
As a result, Bangladesh and the host nation, Pakistan, were eliminated from the running for a spot in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) 50-over competition semifinals.
With 23 balls and five wickets remaining, Ravindra’s fourth ODI century on his Champions Trophy debut completed New Zealand’s of 237.
In a recent tri-series match against Pakistan, the left-hander was struck by the ball on his forehead while fielding, which caused him to miss New Zealand’s opening triumph over the hosts.
“Yeah, definitely a freak accident,” Ravindra told reporters on Monday. “I think things like that don’t really happen too often.”
He said: “I’m very grateful to have a great support crew around me in terms of Black Caps set up, coaches and doc and physio that have been able to come out of it reasonably well and I’m extremely grateful for the love and support of everyone.”
With New Zealand struggling at 15-2, Ravindra came into bat and came up with some crucial stands, notably a 129-run fourth-wicket partnership with Tom Latham, who scored 55.
The knock came after Michael Bracewell used off-spin to return figures of 4-26 and limit Bangladesh to 236-9.
“It’s obviously been interesting dealing with the return to play protocols and stuff,” said Ravindra.
“But having the support around me has been great and being able to come here and contribute to a win for the Black Caps, an environment that I hold dearly and I enjoy so much playing for… it was cool to come back and really enjoy my cricket again after that weird moment.”
After hitting a ton on his 2023 ODI World Cup debut and adding another later in the tournament against Pakistan, Ravindra’s most recent innings confirmed his passion for ICC events.
“He’s doing Rachin things I guess,” said skipper Mitchell Santner who was full of praise for the 25-year-old who struck 12 fours and a six.
“He loves ICC events. Looks like he never left the game. He wasn’t as fluid as he’d have liked but when he gets going he’s tough to stop. His partnerships were good too.”
On Sunday, New Zealand will play India in their last group encounter in Dubai.