Rachin Ravindra displaces Bairstow at top, surpasses Babar, Stokes to create new World Cup batting record
Rachin Ravindra forged a new World Cup record during his 42-run innings against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Rachin Ravindra, the emerging star in the 2023 World Cup, showcased his brilliance once again during New Zealand's final group stage match against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. The ‘local boy’ – his father hails from Bengaluru – enjoyed enjoyed a tremendous crowd support in the city, and it was a rather poetic moment when Ravindra achieved a remarkable feat by setting a new record for the most runs on a World Cup debut.
En route his innings against Sri Lanka, Ravindra went past England's Jonny Bairstow, who held the previous record with 532 runs in his maiden World Cup appearance for England in 2019. Throughout the course of his innings, Ravindra not only etched his name in the record books but also claimed the top spot in the list of highest run-getters in the ongoing tournament. Ravindra went past Quinton de Kock and Virat Kohli to take the top spot; however, both, South Africa and India, are yet to play their final group game in the tournament.
Take a look at the list of top-5 highest run-getters in their maiden World Cup:
- Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand, 2023) - 565*
- Jonny Bairstow (England, 2019) - 532
- Babar Azam (Pakistan, 2019) - 474
- Ben Stokes (England, 2019) - 465
- Rahul Dravid (India, 1999) - 461
The young New Zealand sensation had a spectacular start to the tournament, smashing a century against defending champions England in the side's opening game. Ravindra continued his excellent run with two more centuries, coming against Australia and Pakistan, along with two half-centuries. His consistency and ability to deliver in pressure situations make him a crucial asset for the New Zealand team as they eye a place in the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Earlier in the match against Sri Lanka, New Zealand bowlers produced a solid performance, bowling out the out-for-form islanders on just 171. While Trent Boult picked three wickets, the trio of Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra, and Lockie Ferguson took two each. For the Lankans, Kusal Perera was the highest run-getter with 51 to his name, while Maheesh Theekshana (38*) helped forge a strong 43-run stand alongside no.11 Dilshan Madushanka (19) to take the side to a respectable score.
