The Roots of Rachin Ravindra

In a sport that still loves tidy narratives, this Kiwi cricket star is anything but simple. Born and raised in New Zealand to Indian parents, the all-rounder has grown into one of the most compelling young figures in modern cricket—not just for how he plays, but for what he represents.

- By JAMIE ALTER

WHEN YOUR NAME IS a portmanteau of two icons of Indian cricket—Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid—you're bound to turn heads, particularly when playing in India. But for 26-year-old cricketing all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, born to Indian immigrants in Lower Hutt, an industrial suburb of New Zealand's capital Wellington, his identity is distinctly Kiwi. And the success he's had in a little over four years playing for the Black Caps, like finishing the 2023 ODI World Cup as the tournament's fourth-highest run-getter, as well as scoring a double-hundred in Test cricket, has also validated the hard work of his immigrant parents, while drawing a thick line under what he believes is New Zealand's greatest strength—multiculturalism.

Ravindra's is not a story about divided loyalties or borrowed identities. It's about a generation that no longer feels the need to choose. Through our conversation about family, belonging, acceptance and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are, Ravindra is refreshingly candid about the duality of growing up somewhat Indian at home and Kiwi everywhere else.

“I'm very grateful for what my parents have done and the values they've instilled in me from an Indian standpoint, for sure. But they've never forced anything on my sister or me. I've grown up around Kiwis, and there's been no real pressure to fit in. I'm 100 per cent Kiwi, but respect my roots and background.”

His parents, Ravi and Deepa Krishnamurthy, moved from Bengaluru to Wellington in the 1990s. Ravi, a cricket fanatic and former club player, was his son's first coach, throwing plastic balls at a very young Ravindra behind their home. Ravi has since carved out a name in Wellington cricket circles, having helped fund an annual Hutt Hawks tour to India for budding cricketers.