Hyderabad: A World Cup semi-final against India and that at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will be a dream game for any player. And New Zealand's latest star sensation Rachin Ravindra is no different. Ravindra who is preparing for the challenge is confident his side will "stay level" in the high-pressure game on Wednesday.
"You dream of playing in front of a full crowd against India, who have gone unbeaten at Wankhede, a ground with so much history. We will stay level, we'll try our best," Ravindra was quoted as saying by New Zealand Cricket.
"We know we can't win every game of cricket, you might lose (or) you can win every game, so we will see how it plays out," the 23-year-old, who has so far amassed 565 runs in the nine games, said.
Ravindra, whose grandparents reside in Karnataka's Bengaluru and witnessed him strike a superb century against Pakistan, albeit in a losing cause, believes the Blackcaps have always had several "awesome" players with big-match experience for big occasions.
"We've been thinking about the last two World Cups, you're playing like the most pinnacle games. You play against the Aussies (Australia) in the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground), you go to Lord's against England and now you're playing India at Wankhede. So, pretty big fixtures, it's awesome to have the experience of the guys in the team who have done this before," he added.
New Zealand was unlucky to lose to Australia in the 2015 World Cup final at MCG and again met with the same fate against England at Lord's in 2019. "It's a pretty special moment like the way the Blackcaps have been playing over the last 3-4-5 World Cups and being in a stage to compete for the finals and be in the knockout stages; it's a special sort of moment," he added.
"I guess, as a kid you always dream of playing in big knockout games and I'm really excited for the match against India."
Bengaluru has a special significance for the youngster because the crowd adores him and goes ecstatic every time he comes out to bat. "It's pretty special I guess visiting Bengaluru, a place I've visited as a kid, spent a lot of time and made some good mates. It's always nice to connect with family when I'm here. And, I guess, it's special to qualify while playing our games in Bengaluru. That pitch is beautiful to bat on. Hopefully, there's more to it in the future," the young batter added.
The Blackcaps after losing the November 4 game to Pakistan at the Chinnaswamy Stadium came back strongly at the same venue five days later to crush Sri Lanka and qualify for the semifinals.
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