AUS vs NZ, CWC 2023: 'As A Kid You Always Dream Of Crowd Chanting Your Name,' Says Rachin Ravindra on Dharamsala Fans

It is impossible for Rachin Ravindra to have not heard stories about the iconic "Sachiiiiiin Sachiiiiin" chants that reverberated around Indian stadiums for two decades.

But on a soothing Saturday evening at Dharamsala, when the crowd warmed up to "Rachhiiiiim Rachiiiin" chants, the youngster from Wellington must have thought that this is what dreams are made of.

Hundred in losing cause

A hundred against England in a winning cause in the tournament opener and now a superb 117 off 89 balls against Australia in an improbable chase of 389, which the Black Caps nearly pulled off, Rachin has had a dream World Cup so far.

"As a kid you always dream of the crowd chanting your name and it was cool to see them do that on multiple occasions even when Aussies were batting and when Nish [Neesham] did his thing at the end.

"So, I think it's always special, you sort of soak in those moments and hopefully we never really take them for granted," said Rachin, whose name was inspired by Indian cricket icons Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.

Rachin lauds Dharamsala crowd

"I think this was probably one of the best crowds we've played in India and having that sort of fanfare and the response, like how they responded to the game was pretty special, I think," the Kiwis No. 3 batter said during the post-match press meet.

He did accept that it was disappointing to lose by five runs but with New Zealand already on eight points, there is still some way to go in this tournament, he felt.

Heartbreaking defeat

"Obviously, it's disappointing when it gets that close and you're chasing such a big total and to come out a little bit short but I think that's the beauty of cricket like you get the highs and lows of it and it was an exciting game, entertained the fans so look we'll move on and review but got to understand there's still a lot of cricket to be played in this World Cup."

With more than 400 runs in six games, Rachin admitted that he has exceeded his own expectations.

"I guess you probably look at it at the start and be obviously very grateful to be here and how things have worked out," he stated.