World Cup star Rachin Ravindra's father refutes claims of son being named after Dravid, Tendulkar

With 565 runs from nine matches, New Zealand’s young sensation Rachin Ravindra has certainly been the find of this World Cup. The Indian-origin batter is currently the third-highest run scorer of the World Cup. But it is not just his spectacular batting prowess that has become a super hit. A lot has been said and written about his name also. Many had earlier claimed that the Kiwi star was named after legendary India cricketers Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. Ravindra’s father Ravi Krishnamurthy, however, has now rejected those claims, reported Indian media.

Speaking to The Print, Krishnamurthy categorically stated that his son was not named after the two great Indian cricketers.

“When Rachin [Ravindra] was born, my wife suggested the name, and we didn’t spend a lot of time discussing it. The name sounded good, was easy to spell, and short, so we decided to go with it. It was only some years later that we realised the name was a mix of Rahul and Sachin’s names. He wasn’t named with the intention to make our child a cricketer or anything of the sort,” Krishnamurthy clarified.

Ravindra’s name may not have any connection with Tendulkar but the New Zealand international has left no stone unturned in matching the iconic Indian batter’s records. Ravindra recently emerged as the highest-scoring cricketer under the age of 25 during a single World Cup edition. This record was previously held by Tendulkar. Ravindra surpassed Tendulkar’s record during a World Cup game against Sri Lanka.

Ravindra has so far scored three centuries at the 2023 World Cup. The 23-year-old has managed to eclipse the record of Tendulkar, who had the most number of centuries under his belt before turning 24.

Ravindra will now be aiming to carry forward his destructive form against hosts India in the semis clash. India and New Zealand will meet in the first semi-final of the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday. In the other semi-final, five-time champions Australia will be up against South Africa on Thursday.

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