After helping New Zealand to the brink of a semi-final spot in the World Cup 2023, all-rounder Rachin Ravindra visited his grandparents’ house in Bangalore, where his grandmother performed the ‘Nazar Utarna’ ritual.
The ‘Nazar Utarna’ ritual is a common ritual done in Hindus for keeping the children safe from an evil and negative spirits. This showed the affection and love of Rachin Ravindra’s grandmother to her grandson.
Rachin Ravindra’s father, Ravi Krishnamurthy, hails from Bangalore, who then shifted with his family to New Zealand for his work as a software architect.
It has been a dream run for Rachin: he watched the 2019 World Cup from a cafe in Bangalore, and now he’s featuring in the World Cup 2023 in India. Not only that, he’s leading the run-scoring charts and recently blasted a century at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore against Pakistan, which followed a knock of 42 against Sri Lanka at the same venue.
With a bumper win over Sri Lanka, New Zealand have all but sealed their semi-final spot; only a miraculous, improbable mathematical possibility remains for Pakistan.
After the game, Rachin Ravindra paid a visit to his grandmother in Bangalore. She performed the ‘Nazar Utarna’ ritual. The video of this event has gone viral on social media. Indians praised Rachin for sticking to his roots despite now settling in New Zealand.
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Speaking of the left-hander’s batting show in the tournament, Rachin is currently the leading run-scorer. The southpaw has scored 565 runs in 9 innings at an average of 70 and strike rate of 108 with the help of 3 centuries and 2 fifties. Outstanding numbers for even a senior pro, let alone a 23-year-old youngster playing in his first World Cup tournament.
Rachin said: “It’s a pretty surreal feeling. Playing in Bangalore with my extended family is always special and I won’t take for granted when the crowd chants your name. Luckily it all worked out. 6 to 12 months ago I was not in the frame. Accolades and individual things aside, good to be in the playoffs.”
