12 Facts about Jeet Raval - The new face of New Zealand cricket

Jeet Raval made the news when he was drafted in the New Zealand side for the tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe this year. Raval is not a new name in the New Zealand domestic circuit. He has been a key member of the Auckland team ever since he made his debut. It is only a matter of time that this man carries forward his momentum in international cricket. The Indian origin batsman has taken slow yet steady steps to climb up the ranks in Kiwi cricket.

He made his debut against Pakistan recently and impressed all with a gritty knock. No wonder why he is being tipped as the next big thing in New Zealand cricket. Filling in the big boots of some big names in the side, Jeet Raval has a tough task ahead of him. But he is surely keen on taking against all odds and succeed.

Here are facts about Jeet Raval:

1. Roots and beginnings

Jeet Raval was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 22 September 1988. When he was in his early teens in 2004, his family migrated to New Zealand and settled there. He was 16 when he left India.

2. The Parthiv Patel connection

He studied in the same school where Indian wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel studied. They both even played for their school team together. When Raval migrated to New Zealand, Parthiv had made it to the Indian team.

3. Cricket in Gujarat

Not only did he play school cricket in Ahmedabad, he also played for the state team of Gujarat in the age group levels. He represented the Gujarat U15 and U17 teams.

4. Playing with the Indian nationals

During his age group days, Jeet Raval played alongside and against some of the big names of Indian cricket. These names include Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Manprit Juneja and Piyush Chawla.

5. Under the tutorship of a great cricketer

After moving to New Zealand, he was mentored by the former New Zealand cricketer Deepak Patel.

6. Following the Indian legend

He is a self-confessed fan of former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly. A left-handed batsman himself, Raval tries to emulate all the shots that his role model played during his playing days.

7. Compared to another legend

In the Auckland cricket circle, Raval is often compared to Rahul Dravid. This is largely due to the solid technique that he possesses. He is known as an exceptional player of seam bowling.

8. Moving to the U19 side – up against Indians

Soon after migrating to New Zealand, he made giant strides to earn U19 call for New Zealand team in 2006-07. He played 2 matches and both against the India U19s. He could score a total of only 9 runs in 2 matches.

Also read – Top 10 Popular Cricketers of Indian Origin Who Played Against India

9. First Class debut

He made his First-Class debut against the touring West Indies side in a practice match at Auckland. He scored 31 coming in at number 7. He was soon picked up in the Auckland side in the domestic circuit.

10. Long wait for List A debut

Jeet Raval had to wait for 3 long years before he made his List A debut for the Auckland side against Northern Districts in the 2011 season.

11. The heavy domestic season

He shot to the limelight in the 2015-16 season when he plundered runs at will for the Auckland team in the Plunket Shield tournament. He amassed 1016 runs at an average close to 60.

12. The elite Indian club

He became the 7th player of Indian origin to play international cricket for New Zealand. The other 6 being Narotam Puna, Dipak Patel, Jeetan Patel, Ish Sodhi, Ronnie Hira, and Tarun Nethula.