“CSK environment allows me to be myself”: Rachin Ravindra ahead of IPL 2024 clash against DC

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India]: Ahead of the clash against Delhi Capitals (DC), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener, Rachin Ravindra said that the franchise’s environment has given him freedom to play as he wants.

After winning their first two games of the ongoing IPL season, CSK will lock horns with DC in the 13th fixture of the tournament at the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

So far in the 17th edition of the IPL, Ravindra has scored 83 runs while opening in two matches at an average of 41.50 and at a strike rate of 237.14 with the help of nine boundaries and six maximums.
The New Zealand youngster shared his thoughts on having Stephen Fleming in the management. He said that it’s always nice to have the Kiwi connection and being able to hang out with guys you are familiar with.

“Yeah, it was pretty special. I think when we were watching the auction and as soon as it (getting signed by CSK) happened, I had Dave (Devon Conway) call me, Santner messaged me and then obviously, Flem (Fleming). So that’s pretty cool. It’s always nice having the Kiwi connection and being able to hang out with guys who I’m very familiar with, makes the whole comforting thing of settling into an environment a lot easier. Also a lot of the lads, not just the overseas guys, but the Indian guys are such good people. So it’s very easy to get along with people in a team like this,” said Ravindra as quoted by the CSK official website.

The Blackcaps player further talked about the Chennai family and the culture of the side. He said the management and players make the youngsters and newcomers comfortable in the dressing room.

“Yeah, I think it’s probably pretty accurate, the CSK family thing. It’s more from players being able to be comfortable, players knowing their roles and quite a relaxed environment which makes everyone feel a bit more chill and can get along a bit better, and doesn’t feel like it’s a hierarchy because you can always have a nice conversation with Flem if you want to, you can have a conversation with Hussey, you can have a conversation with MS Dhoni, you can have a conversation with Rutu. It’s all pretty chill, which for me, helps me a lot means I can come in and just not try to be anyone else. I can just be myself in that environment and let it happen, the 24-year-old player asserted.

The Kiwi cricketer spoke about batting at top. He said that batting at top is more comfortable than batting down the order.

“I guess so. I think it’s just a lot more comfortable being at the top. But also I guess during the World Cup, you get an opportunity and you have a few innings and you play a few shots. You’re like, okay, this is something I’ve worked on for a while and then, it sort of comes down in the game. You are like, okay, this is maybe a part of my game and you take that from me. I probably took a lot of confidence from that and was able to execute some shots that I’ve been training for a while that I hadn’t really used in a game before. So yeah, I guess a little bit of that, but I think it’s just more about getting time in the middle and getting confidence to do that on the big stages,” the Wellington-born cricketer stated.

The left-arm spinner said that he is a big basketball fan and his favourite players in the sport are Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

“I’m a big basketball fan. I’ve got a few idols in basketball that I look up to. I’m obviously a big Kobe Bryant fan and I love Michael Jordan. So, two guys that come to my head and you see the mindset that they had, obviously it’s completely different sports, but you see the mentality and there’s little gems that you can pick from them,” the southpaw admitted.

In the end, the all-rounder said that he is a football fan too. The player said that his favourite player in the sport is Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

“I also like Ronaldo, I’m a football fan too, but I’m more so a Cristiano Ronaldo fan. So you see the way he’s gone about and his hard work and stuff. So, it’s cool to have those guys you look up to because you can always get a little bit from them in terms of mentality-wise, the way they go about it,” Ravindra concluded.

The defending champions had a brilliant start to their 2024 campaign. They have managed to win both of their games in the 17th edition so far. First, they defeated the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2024 opener by six wickers and then they defeated Gujarat Titans by 63 runs.

The five-time champions are currently the table toppers of IPL 2024, with four points as they have won both matches in the cash-rich league. After the two matches, Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side has a net run rate of +1.979.

CSK squad for IPL 2024: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (wk), Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman, Tushar Deshpande, Shardul Thakur, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prashant Solanki, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, RS Hangargekar, Aravelly Avanish.