How Anantapur shaped New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra for success

New Zealand’s opening batter Rachin is well versed in the subcontinent conditions because of his regular training in Anantapur, a small town in Andhra Pradesh.

Having made his Test debut in India three years ago, Rachin will look to continue his keep up his scoring form in the upcoming series against the same opponent, starting next month. | Photo Credit: Sportzpics for BCCI

Rachin Ravindra will be keen to extend his run-scoring spree in India when he lands at its shores for New Zealand’s three-match Test series against India beginning October 16. He scored 578 runs in 10 innings, including three centuries, the last time he played international cricket here, during the ODI World Cup 2023.

He is well versed in the subcontinent conditions because of his regular training in Anantapur, a small town in Andhra Pradesh.

Three years before his senior debut, heading into a second Under-19 World Cup, stint in Australia in 2018, Rachin made his way to this quaint town to hone his skills.

“The decision to train at the Anantapur Sports Academy before the 2018 Under-19 World Cup wasn’t solely about improving his skills against spin. Rachin had undergone shoulder surgery earlier that year, and after recovering, he hadn’t had much game time. With the World Cup approaching around Christmas, training in New Zealand wasn’t feasible due to the holiday period, so we chose to head to Anantapur.

“There, he got valuable time in the middle, practising on different wickets, which helped him regain his rhythm. The focus was more on getting back to basics. The wickets at Anantapur offer a great variety, from spinning tracks to bouncy ones, allowing players to improve against both spin and pace,” Ravi Krishnamurthy, Rachin’s father, tells Sportstar.

The long trip paid dividends as Rachin scored 233 runs in seven innings at the World Cup.

Rachin in action during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup against India at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. | Photo Credit: K.R Deepak / The Hindu

But his first acquaintance with the city and the faith in its cricket facilities to get the job done came in 2017, courtesy of the Wellington-based Hutt Hawks Cricket Club, founded by his father in 2010. Ravi hails from Bengaluru but works in Wellington as a software engineer. He also happens to be a cricket nut.

Struggling to continue his son’s practice due to adverse weather conditions and the lack of readily available cricket grounds, Ravi set up an initiative aimed at providing game time and exposure to young kids.

“Although Hutt Hawks informally operated, as in put together teams, and travelled within New Zealand from 2008, officially it was registered in April 2010. Yes, it was my idea along with a few other like-minded parents who had kids of similar age as Rachin.

“The players represented their respective clubs, but due to limited game time—caused by poor weather and other factors—we came up with the idea of a roving cricket club. As Hutt Hawks, we didn’t compete in the local league.” Ravi says.

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It is now open to professional players too and conducts overseas trips.

“By the time we discovered Anantapur Sports Academy, we had already played at various venues across India, including Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru. We’re always eager to explore new locations, as the culture, food, weather, and even the players’ attitudes and approach to the game vary from place to place, providing a great challenge for our players.

A team from Hutt Hawks Cricket Club at the Anantapur Cricket Academy. | Photo Credit: Anantapur Sports Academy/Facebook

“Our first encounter came in 2016 through Pradeep, who worked at the J. Arun Kumar Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He had been telling us for some time about this fantastic facility, which wasn’t far from Bengaluru,” Ravi says.

Yughandhar Reddy, the cricket coordinator at Anantapur Sports Academy, recalls how the phone call from Pradeep led the academy to open its doors to overseas groups for training in 2017.

“So, first, he [Pradeep] had invited an under-16 boys team from the Sanath Jayasuriya Cricket Academy in Colombo. He was very impressed with the setup here. So he shared the number with Ravi sir. He called me saying we wanted to visit Anantapur. At that time our head of cricket was Syed Shahabuddin and we invited them for the first trip, for their under-19 boys,” Reddy says.

Shahabuddin, a former Andhra cricketer hailing from Anantapur, was also working as a coach with the Andhra Cricket Association and helped expand the programme for the senior boys.

“Initially, the under-19 team played against teams from Anantapur only. When seniors came we contacted the Andhra Cricket Association. We pitched it saying it would be beneficial for both sides and ended up inviting the Andhra senior team,” Reddy says.

The initiative is now a three-phase tour spread across six months, Reddy informs. The seniors are the first to visit in July since it is before the start of their busy calendars. Kiwi internationals Jimmy Neesham and Tom Blundell have also been part of the touring parties.

The remaining trips take place in the slightly cooler months of September and December, for the age-group teams, making it easier to adapt to the drastic weather change.

“What draws us to Anantapur is not only the outstanding setup but also the people. The accommodation is right by the ground, there’s no traffic like in bigger cities, and the centre boasts two cricket grounds, grass nets, and a gym. It’s a perfect fit for us. Grass wickets are especially hard to find in Bengaluru,” Ravi says.

Anantapur was home to Rachin once again in 2023 as he headed to these parts to gear up for the ODI World Cup.

“The weather was a little challenging so we started early in the morning at 6 and finished by 10. Evening we started a bit late at 3:30 or 4 and played till 6 or 7. Every day we covered six hours. Rachin is a hard worker. He is a very good all-rounder no doubt, but he spends hours and hours [training],” says Shahbuddin, who oversaw Rachin’s training for nearly a month ahead of the quadrennial event.

Shahabuddin also accompanied Rachin in his move to Hyderabad where he could get a feel of playing under the floodlights.

Rachin Ravindra (second from right) with Syed Shahabuddin (centre) at the Anantapur Cricket Academy. | Photo Credit: Anantapur Sports Academy/Facebook

“He knew early that he was going to be a part of the World Cup team. There was obviously no guarantee that he would play but he knew he was going to be a part of the squad. He came to India one month before the World Cup. We do not have lights here at Anantapur, so we moved to Hyderabad. We played a few practice games before the start. He worked so hard. He practised there for 15 to 20 days,” says Shahabuddin.

As fate would have it, New Zealand was given its warm-up game in Hyderabad against Pakistan where Rachin scored 97 runs. It got him a spot in the playing eleven which he grabbed with both hands, joining the illustrious list, comprising names like Virat Kohli and Aaron Finch, of players who notched up a century on their ODI World Cup debut.

Rachin was now a sensation, and Anantapur had a part to play.