24-year-old New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has been adjudged the winner of the ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year for 2023.
The governing council announced the award on Wednesday, rewarding the youngster for his breakthrough year in international cricket which saw him have an outstanding World Cup 2023.
Playing in his maiden ICC tournament for the senior men’s side, Rachin Ravindra finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer in the competition, and the top-scorer for his side. The left-hander amassed 578 runs at an average of 64, in the process notching up 3 centuries and 2 fifties. He also snapped five wickets in the tournament with his left-arm finger spin.
He had made his Test and T20I debuts in 2021 but got his first chance in ODIs in 2023. And to have such a successful tournament in his first year in ODI cricket was highly impressive for the youngster.
Overall, he scored 820 runs in 25 ODI matches in 2023 at an average of 41. His best of 123* came in the opening match of the World Cup against England in Ahmedabad.
Chasing 284 against the likes of Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, and Adil Rashid, Rachin smashed 123* runs in 96 balls, walloping 11 fours and 5 sixes.
His aggression at the start of the innings put New Zealand ahead in the chase, it earned him the Man of the Match award over Devon Conway, who scored 152* in 121 balls.
It has been a pretty whirlwind last year: Rachin Ravindra
Ravindra pipped over South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee, Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka, and India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal for the ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year for 2023.
“It’s obviously a very special feeling. Whenever you get recognised by the ICC for something it is always special,” Rachin Ravindra said, as quoted by the ICC.
“Reflecting back it has been a pretty whirlwind last year and having the opportunity to play so much cricket in so many different environments has been very special.”
His success in the World Cup, in which he showcased his excellent batsmanship against spinners and temperament to handle the pressure, earned him an IPL contract with the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 auction.
Source: The Cricket Lounge
BDST: 2017 HRS, JAN 24, 2024
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