Rachin Ravindra's 'life comes full circle' after sharing crease with idol Kane Williamson

After losing a couple of early wickets in the first Test against South Africa at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra took care of the business as they stitched a 219-run partnership on the opening day to help the hosts put 258/2 on the board. They would aim to add to that on Day 2 as the inexperienced Proteas team looked clueless for the majority of the time. Their defensive game plan received some backlash but with the majority of the players not available due to SA20, the visitors could not do much.

Meanwhile, Rachin Ravindra managed to live his dream of batting alongside Williamson in Test cricket. He is currently batting on 118* runs while his idol Williamson is on 112*. Speaking about his feelings about playing alongside the former Test captain, Ravindra stated that it’s very special to him and revealed what Williamson said to him after his century.

“After I got to my century, Kane come up to me and said, 'mate, you're unbelievable'. It's so surreal. To be receiving that kind of special praise from one of the best batters in the world. It's the coolest thing I've been a part of,” Ravindra was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“Playing alongside Kane is always very special. Sharing the crease with someone I idolise so much, life has come full circle for me. It's a real 'pinch-me' moment. Seeing him go about his business as usual, with his calmness and timing, and the positions he gets himself into, it was pure batting bliss. As a lover of New Zealand cricket, seeing him still score Test hundreds is unbelievable,” the 24-year-old added.

It's natural that people expect more from you once you have a decent couple of games: Ravindra

After a terrific ODI World Cup, Ravindra was deemed as the next big player from New Zealand. However, he could not make the most of the opportunities but in the first Test against South Africa, the southpaw showed his class and registered his maiden Test ton. Speaking about him getting some much-needed runs, Ravindra mentioned that people often expect more after a couple of good knocks but he doesn’t read much about other’s opinions.

“I don't read into all that. It's natural that people expect more from you once you have a decent couple of games. I just try to contribute my best to the team. You want to play as much as possible, but it all comes down to the team. The environment draws everything forward,” Ravindra said.