Before New Zealand's final group-stage fixture against Canada at the 2026 T20 World Cup, Rachin Ravindra had gone 14 T20I innings without a fifty. He also had a rough build-up to the World Cup and was struck down with illness. But after he ended the drought with an unbeaten 59 against Canada, he said that he wasn't too desperate for runs and had embraced the "fickle" nature of T20 cricket.
"You always want to score runs as a batsman in T20, but I also understand the game is quite fickle," Ravindra said after helping New Zealand confirm their Super Eight spot. "You go through little troughs in places you're doing well and I think it's important to know T20 is a game of freedom. The more you try to search for runs, the worse it gets. Always try to put the team first and it was nice to get the result out there."
Ravindra is only 26 and has already been earmarked as New Zealand's next batting leader after Kane Williamson in Test cricket and ODIs. In 2023, he matched Williamson's tally for the most runs by a New Zealand batter in an ODI World Cup, and in 2024, he scored his maiden Test double-century, against South Africa. His T20 progress hasn't been as smooth and Ravindra suggested he was still finding his feet in the shortest format.
"I'm always learning," Ravindra said. "I'm still young in my career and have played a handful of cricket but still a lot to come. I've been lucky enough to have a lot of franchise experience around the world. I think I'm learning with each experience and it's natural.
"It is what it is and with T20 it's an evolving format. Some days are different. There's a lot of talk about 250-300 [scores] but World Cup cricket's never been quite that. For me especially, it's [about] playing the game the way I do and playing what's in front of me because that's what's important."
Along with Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra is the only all-format batter in New Zealand's T20 World Cup squad. Switching from one format to another has invited a set of challenges, according to Ravindra.
"I think it's just adapting to each format, obviously being lucky enough and very grateful to play all three formats," Ravindra said. "That's the hardest sort of piece and being able to go from a Test player to one-day and T20, all in between. That's probably what it is and being able to come back to what's important and the basics of your game, which allows you to flow freely throughout formats. I think that's always going to be a challenge, especially with how much cricket we play these days."
Glenn Phillips, who had a front-row seat to Ravindra's fluent fifty against Canada at Chepauk while himself smashing 76 not out off 36 balls, delivered a glowing appraisal of Ravindra's potential and the team management's support.
"He's a fantastic cricketer," Phillips said of Ravindra. "It's one of those things where class is permanent and form is temporary. It was only a matter of time before he was going to come right again. The beauty of this team is that selection is given over a long period of time, and we trust our players, and we have a great group of guys where we're giving to something bigger than ourselves and things like today come to the forefront of the mind where the trust has been built. We know that he's going to perform over periods of time.
"So for him to go out there and I guess have a little bit of success but to understand that his process is doing the right thing and it's coming right, which is great. But also he works incredibly hard off the field. It's pretty hard for things not to come right when you work so hard."
After starting with a golden duck against Afghanistan and 13 against South Africa, Ravindra was pleased to have got some time in the middle and runs under his belt ahead of the Super Eight. New Zealand will play all their three Super Eight fixtures at the Khettarama in Colombo.
"Super, super helpful. I'm glad to be over what I had - little bit of a niggly viral infection that's gone around the team as well," Ravindra said. "Still coughing a little bit but definitely lots better and I'm glad to be on the other side of it (laughs). Obviously it's nice to have time in the middle and knowing we're going to a different country and different conditions.
"We've observed what's been going on in Colombo and we know it's slightly different, but it's still T20 cricket. For us, what we do well is a Black Caps team - that's adapting to whatever surface is put in front of us."
In the absence of Michael Bracewell, who has been sidelined from the T20 World Cup with injury, New Zealand are looking up to Ravindra and Phillips for longer shifts with the ball. In New Zealand's opening game of the competition against Afghanistan, Ravindra was introduced to the attack in the 18th over, and he responded with the wicket of a well-set Gulbadin Naib, though he ended up conceding 14 in that over. He is happy to do a job with the ball for the team in Sri Lanka as well.
"I mean the game dictates your plan usually most of the time. What end you're bowling from... sort of long boundary, trying to get them to hit to that bigger fence," he said. "Using your skills and being unpredictable, it's been fun. I've always loved to bowl because it gives me the opportunity to contribute to the team.
"Hopefully, I have a role in Colombo with those turning wickets. Having a world-class left-arm spinner in [Mitchell] Santner in our camp is cool and you get to talk a lot of cricket with him. So, definitely learning from him."