Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand plays a shot against India. Photo: www.photosport.nz
ICC Champions Trophy Final
- Starts: 10pm Sunday 9 March
- Dubai International Stadium
- Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
Black Caps batter Rachin Ravindra is proving to be a big game player who New Zealand will call on again against India in Sunday's Champions Trophy final in Dubai.
Ravindra is one of the tournament's leading run scorers - with 226 runs to his name - including two centuries in three innings at the tournament.
Only one player, England's Ben Duckett, has scored more than Ravindra. In his three innings Duckett scored a total of 227 runs and with a winless England exiting the tournament at the group stage Ravindra could end this tournament as the top scorer with a big innings on Sunday.
However India's Virat Kohli could chase Ravindra down. The Indian superstar is his side's top scorer with 217 runs from his four innings at the tournament all scored on the Dubai wicket.
New Zealand's next best with the bat during the tournament are veteran top-order players Tom Latham and Kane Williamson.
Latham has 191 runs and Williamson has 189. Both players have played one more innings than Ravindra who missed the opening game of the tournament as he recovered from a head injury picked up in a warm-up tournament.
Ravindra's habit of scoring runs at ICC events - he also has three world cup centuries - means the 25-year-old's talent has caught the eye of several former players including England's Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain who are on the cricket commentary circuit. They believe the Wellingtonian is ready to take over when Williamson is ready to retire.
Ravindra is not so sure.
The atmosphere of big tournaments excites him, Ravindra said, and he likes to contribute when silverware is on the line but he hopes Williamson will be with him at the crease for a few more years.
New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra (L) celebrates with teammate Kane Williamson after scoring a century at the Champions Trophy, 2025. Photo: AFP
Williamson and Ravindra both scored centuries in the semi-final against South Africa and put on a 164-run partnership for the second wicket.
"Kane has been the guy for the Black Caps for such a long period of time and not one person can take his place he's such a unique cricketer and he's so consistent so I think it's a collective thing. Hopefully he's still got a lot of time for us left but it's definitely a group thing for us to come together, obviously his runs will be missed, but more importantly his presence in the dressing room ... he's such an inspiration so all that stuff adds up so one person can't fill that role."
Ravindra is focused on the final and said the team felt confident after "playing some good cricket" and they were relying on those, like Williamson, who had done it before in big tournaments and pressure situations to keep a calm head in the heat of the battle.
"We know we've got the experience of previous knockouts and the guys who have played before like Sat [captain Mitch Santner], Tommy [Latham], Kane that experience is great to call upon but I think that's a key feature of our group a calmness in the way we go about things."
