Ahead of the ICC World Cup semifinals, New Zealand's new batting sensation Rachin Ravindra was in Bengaluru to visit his grandparents.
The 23-year-old left-hander, who has amassed 565 runs in the coveted tournament so far, was welcomed with a traditional ritual by his grandmother. A viral video one the internet showed Rachin Ravindra's granny doing a "Drishthi tegiyodu" in front of the young all-rounder seated on a sofa.
Drishthi tegiyodu, also called the 'nazar utarna' ritual in Hindi, is done to ward off the effects of the evil eye. It is believed that doing the ritual will fend off any curse cast by a jealous person. Rachin, the second successful run-getter of the tournament so far, is more likely to be envied than not.
Rachin Ravindra takes pride in his strong Indian connection and ethnicity. "I have a sense of family connection whenever I'm in Bangalore. Being able to see my grandparents and stuff, so yeah, it's pretty cool," he had told the media earlier in October.
"Obviously, I've heard a lot of stories and watched a lot of footage. I guess the influence from my parents and my dad, sort of, and the old-school Indian cricketers was pretty cool.
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE:
This is New Zealand's star Rachin Ravindra; his grandmother is keeping a watchful eye in Hindi we say Nazar utarna, #AnkitaLokhande #Orry #Manipur #धनतेरस #CeasefireInGazaNO #Mohua #PKMKBForever #Tucker #BlackRock #Annamalai #Sarah #NeverAgainIsNow #Delaware #McCarthy #Imran pic.twitter.com/DQ1A9zbyJ0
— Aksa (@amit00000000121) November 10, 2023
"Being able to watch a lot of their highlights and stuff… obviously, I idolise Sachin Tendulkar, I think a lot of people do. I think the way he batted, his technique was beautiful to watch," he added.
Named after Indian cricket icons
The all-rounder's first name is the portmanteau of 'Ra'hul (Dravid) and Sa'chin' (Tendulkar), the two Indian cricketers his parents were big fans of in the 1990s. Ravindra was born in 1999 in Wellington, when Dravid and Tendulkar were at the peak of their powers.
His father, a software engineer, had moved from Bengaluru to New Zealand in 1990 and would later start the Hutt Hawks Club that arranges tours for young, aspiring cricketers to visit India for a camp every summer, said news agency PTI.
