New Zealand won the first Test against South Africa by 281 runs and took a lead of 1-0 in the two-match Test series. The Proteas won the toss at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui and asked the Kiwis to bat first, a decision that backfired as Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson squashed the South African bowlers in the first innings adding 232 runs for the third wicket in the first innings. Rachin Ravindra smashed his maiden Test century and converted it into a double-century to reach another landmark.
Kane Williamson scored 118 in the first innings while Rachin Ravindra smashed 240 off 366 deliveries to take New Zealand’s total to 511 in the first innings. Rachin Ravindra was selected as the Player of The Match for his brilliant innings against South Africa.
The 24-year-old youngster smashed 26 boundaries and three sixes during his knock of 240. Kane Williamson was the next best performer as he scored 118 in the first innings and 103 in the second innings to take New Zealand home with a great win against South Africa.
Rachin Ravindra gave a hilarious reply when he was asked about sharing his POTM award with skipper Kane Williamson. Kane Williamson scored 118 off 289 balls in the first innings with 16 fours to his name while he smashed 109 off 132 balls in the second innings where his bat yielded 12 fours and a six. Williamson has recorded 31 centuries in Test cricket now and is the only New Zealand batter with more than 30 centuries in Test cricket.
When Rachin Ravindra was asked if he would like to share his POTM with Kane Williamson he denied it by hilariously saying, “Nah, not at all. He’s got 31 Test hundreds for my one so I’m not giving that one.” This was the first fifty-plus score for Rachin Ravindra in Test cricket and he made the most of it by converting it into a massive double-century.
Well played, well said😎#NZvSA pic.twitter.com/N043JC6HmQ
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 7, 2024
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Rachin Ravindra Performed Well In The ODI World Cup For New Zealand
Rachin Ravindra has been a great addition to the New Zealand side and he proved his worth in the ODI World Cup which was held in India during October and November in 2023.
He was the fourth-highest run-getter in the megaevent scoring 578 runs in 10 innings at an average of 64.22 which included three centuries and two half-centuries. He has been picked by the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL after his performance in the World Cup.
Rachin Ravindra also won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year 2023 award for his performance in the ODI World Cup. He made his international debut against Bangladesh in September 2021 in the T20 format and then made his red-ball debut against India at Green Park in Kanpur a couple of months later.
He made his ODI debut in 2023 against Sri Lanka at Eden Park and then made a spectacular impact in the ODI World Cup with his batting.
The second Test between New Zealand and South Africa will be played at the Seddon Park in Hamilton, commencing on February 13, Tuesday. New Zealand are the favorites to win the second Test also as the Proteas’ team is a bit inexperienced.
