FILE PHOTO: Cricket - ICC World Cup - Semi-Final - New Zealand Practice - Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India - November 13, 2023 New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra during practice REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
BENGALURU, India (Reuters) - When New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra enters the ground for the series-opening test against India in Bengaluru on Wednesday the popular all-rounder will be assured of loud support from fans that will include many family members.
Born in New Zealand to Indian parents, the mop-haired left-hander from Wellington emerged as a crowd favourite among Indian fans when playing for the Black Caps in last year's 50-overs World Cup and Chennai in this season's Indian Premier League.
The 24-year-old said he was now relishing the opportunity to play the game's longest format in the city his father grew up in and competed in domestic cricket matches many years ago.
"It's cool. I think when I was here the last time for the IPL and the ODI World Cup they were two pretty cool experiences to have as part of two very good teams," Ravindra said.
"I guess there's something different about playing a test match. You're here for five days, it's tradition, test cricket is the pinnacle so it's always nice to play test cricket."
Ravindra said that the game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium would be "extra special" because of the family connection.
"I'm very proud of my Indian heritage and to be able to play where a lot of my family is based is pretty special," he added.
"There will be a bunch of them in the crowd and dad will be here watching. These moments, you pinch yourself on the journey and this is definitely one of them."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
