The International Cricket Council (ICC) named the 24-year-old as the emerging player of 2023. He performed exceptionally well in the 50-over World Cup, scoring centuries against Australia, Pakistan, and England. Due to his impressive performance, he has been selected for the Test side after a two-year gap. Ravindra, now positioned higher in the batting order, is excited to play alongside Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell against South Africa.
It’s a little bit different to where I played previously. I was in an all-rounder role a few years ago and now in the middle order,” he said ahead of the first Test, starting Sunday in Mount Maunganui.
He will be playing in his fourth Test match.
I’m excited to get out there with guys around me who have done it for a long period of time,” he added.
“Either side of me, you have Kane at three and Daryl at five, amazing Test cricketers so anything I can learn from them will be great.
New Zealand has never won a Test series against South Africa in 17 tries since 1932. Only seven players from South Africa’s 15-man squad have prior Test experience, as many key players are participating in the domestic Twenty20 competition. Despite this, Ravindra doesn’t believe South Africa is the underdog for the two-Test series. The second match is set to begin in Hamilton on February 13.
They will still be hungry to win. A lot of their guys will want to push for Test selection and it’s important we don’t lose sight of that,” he said.
In the last Test series in February 2022, New Zealand won the first match convincingly by an innings and 276 runs, but South Africa came back strong and won the second by 198 runs. Ravindra anticipates a challenging contest in the upcoming matches.a
South Africa are a very proud sporting nation, not just in cricket,” he said.
They play with fight and a no-fear mentality.
