Syed Shahabuddin with Rasheen Ravindra (special arrangements)
New Delhi: Do you still remember what happened to New Zealand all-rounder Rasheen Ravindra in IPL 2024? Spin chewed his batter and spit it out. The situation became so serious that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had to abandon him midway through the season.
As they say, time is the best medicine. And for Ravindra, he has certainly become one. Spin, who was once Ravindra’s arch-nemesis, inflicted the same pain on batsmen preparing to face the Kiwis during the T20 World Cup, as his fingers talked to the ball.See also: IND vs NZ Live Score T20 Wolrd Cup 2026 Final
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Ravindra has emerged as his team’s highest wicket-taker (11) in this edition, and now he sees things differently. While his batting pedigree initially dominated the limelight, two more dismissals in the final against India would be enough to make him New Zealand’s highest wicket-taker in an edition of the tournament.
The odd dismissal will see Ravindra overtake Daniel Vettori as the Black Caps’ most successful player in their T20 World Cup campaign. If we expand the scale a bit, the left-arm spinner has caused 11 dismissals in 8 matches at an economy rate of 6.88, trailing the most successful players of this edition Varun Chakaravarthy and Adil Rashid by just two wickets.
“Impact, similar role to Yuvraj Singh in 2011 World Championships”
While Ravindra’s heroics may have surprised rivals and fans, CSK Academy’s world-class coach Sriram Krishnamurthy is certainly not one of them.
Krishnamurthy, who has worked extensively with the 26-year-old cricketer, highlighted his bowling as one of the notable aspects right from the start, describing it as something that came very naturally.
Syed Shahabuddin during a training session with Rasheen Ravindra (special arrangements)
“Rasheen is very good at reading the game. He is not someone who bowls the ball a lot during training sessions. However, when he receives the ball, you know he will be able to do some special things. Rasheen has excelled with the ball in the MLC and Hundred, which makes his current performance not surprising. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has used him very well,” Sriram said during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.He added: “Each of Rushen’s spells left an impact. One noteworthy aspect is the way he hit left-handed shots, being a left-handed player in an unfavorable match, which was particularly notable in the semi-final against South Africa with the sending off of David Miller. I don’t think many people would disagree that his impact and role was similar to Yuvraj Singh’s impact in the 2011 World Cup.”Ravindra provided an edge to New Zealand’s bowling attack, with his intelligent fielding and good setup, which was first reflected in the opener against Afghanistan in Chennai. The 26-year-old was handed the ball in the 18th minute, which could have backfired massively. However, Rasheen kept the ball out of reach of the batsmen from the start, and was duly rewarded with the dismissal of the dangerous Gulbadin Nayib off his second delivery.
The New Zealand cricketer closely monitored Ravindra Jadeja at CSK, providing valuable input.
“Hard work for Hyderabad ahead of T20 WC 2026”
Another important factor behind Rasheen’s current success is the intense one-month camp in Hyderabad ahead of the T20 World Cup, where the all-rounder worked on hitting the right zones and variations. The New Zealand cricketer trained under former Andhra Pradesh captain Syed Shahabuddin, who urged him to bowl from stump to stump and according to fielding positions.“Ravindra can be lethal with the help of the wicket, considering his consistency. I encouraged the CSK management to give him more chances with the ball but he barely got a chance or two. Santner and NZRC are showing great faith in Ravindra’s bowling, which has proven to be a game-changer,” Shahabuddin said.
Syed Shahabuddin with Rasheen Ravindra (special arrangements)
Although the fingermaker was admired for his high-impact playing style, he previously lacked agility and speed which hampered effectiveness.
Former New Zealand coach Glenn Bucknall played a key role in enabling Ravindra to play at a faster pace and deliver longer spells by developing his strength. The all-rounder showed great dedication and trained for six hours daily.“I saw Rasheen play for the first time when he was 15 and I was very impressed with his control and incredible aura. He is very difficult to play against on flat wickets as well as turning runs because he can spin the ball so hard inside the wicket.
He has been mentored extensively by former New Zealand spinner Jeetan Patel and I fully expect Rushen to be a threat against India.”
“Varun Chakaravarthy would have picked 15 wickets in Sri Lanka.”
AC Prathipan, Chakaravarthy’s personal coach, praised Ravindra’s tactical intelligence, highlighting the lack of space for the batsmen as well as the skillful use of angles to exploit the taller ends off the ground. However, Prathipan has also turned his focus towards New Zealand playing a lot of matches in Sri Lanka, where the greater boundary advantage plays a role.
Syed Shahabuddin during a training session with Rasheen Ravindra
“Jasprit Bumrah and Varun would have picked up at least 15 wickets if the Indian team had bowled as much in those conditions. Mechits had a six-run lead during the semi-final in Wankhede. However, credit to Rasheen for doing his homework,” Prathiban said.
reconnaissance
Will Rasheen Ravindra overtake Daniel Vettori as New Zealand’s most successful player in T20 World Cup history?
Ravindra revealed his desire to make the batsman’s life as difficult as possible during the interaction after New Zealand secured a place in the final, something the Indian juggernaut will be wary of.