2 min readUpdated: May 28, 2026 04:52 PM IST
Last week, New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra had high praises for his Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders for releasing him ahead of the Kiwis’ Test tours in Ireland and England. He had said that the franchise’s decision to free him up in the middle of the season helped him go home and refresh ahead of the grueling international assignments.
“I mean KKR were very welcoming and understanding of the situation. Obviously, the way it was going, I wasn’t playing. The decision was spoken to the CEO and the coach about potentially coming home for a refresh and obviously not knowing I’d be home until… Well, I wouldn’t be home until late August because of what’s to come,” Rachin had said ahead of the match vs Ireland as per ESPN Cricinfo.
“So, really awesome from them to be able to say, go home, refresh, do a bit of training and what you need before joining the boys in Ireland. Because there was always going to be a little bit of an overlap. It made it easier since I wasn’t playing. It’s a great little refresh. We spend so much time away from home and even four or five days at home, which I’ve had, is fantastic,” he added.
On Wednesday, a rejuvenated Rachin showed what he was capable of when he arrested New Zealand’s slide and slammed 121 runs against Ireland in a one-off Test in Belfast. In at No.4, Rachin started his innings with Kane Williamson after New Zealand had already lost captain Tom Latham and Devon Conway.
With Williamson and Daryll Mitchell also falling in quick succession, Ravindra and Tom Blundell steered New Zealand out of the choppy waters with a 217-run partnership. Both eventually scored centuries with Rachin chipping in with 121 while Blundell was still undefeated at 179 on day 2 with the Kiwis posting 429/5 after 110 overs.
“It was great to be out there. It’s my first time playing in Ireland, so it was nice to take in the atmosphere and the crowd. It was an awesome day here in Belfast,” Rachin said on Wednesday after the 1st Day of the Test.
