Rachin Ravindra may not have featured for Kolkata Knight Riders so far in this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but the New Zealand all-rounder insists patience, perspective and constant evolution remain central to his approach as he navigates selection competition, the demands of three-format cricket and the rapidly shifting T20 landscape.

On waiting for his chance at KKR

“I wouldn’t ever really call it frustrating. First of all, it’s great to be part of a new franchise and it’s such a great crew to be with. I’m enjoying my time here.

“For me, it’s understanding that the team is out there and I’m supporting them and I’m doing my best job to, one, help them prepare and, two, help us win games. And whether that’s part of the starting 12 or whether that’s on the bench or whatever it looks like. And that to me is important.

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“As soon as you start to feel frustrated and stuff like that, you naturally think a little bit more negative about things. So for me, it’s just about getting better.

“Obviously, you always want to play games, but I’ve played a lot of cricket of late and even if I’m not playing, it’s about contributing to the team. I realise there are a lot of talented cricketers in this team. And if you’re missing out to, say, Finn Allen and Cameron Green, or Sunil Narine, or the likes of them, you have to understand that those are class players and they obviously make up the structure of the team. So, it doesn’t bother me too much.”

On back-to-back heartbreak in ICC finals against India

“It probably still hurts. I think it always is going to. And there are times I think back and hindsight is a great thing. So there’s a million things that go through your head and little decisions you feel could have made a difference. Maybe, it doesn’t. Obviously, it’s hurtful to have it two years in a row and we were a lot closer in the Champions Trophy final.

“Both games were extremely disappointing. But again, that’s cricket. There’s always going to be a winner and a loser. And India is a very, very good team, especially in those conditions of Dubai and in India, you know, it is a quality unit which has played so much cricket here.

Learning from setbacks: Ravindra feels every loss is an opportunity to learn and improve as a player. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

“There are always learnings about yourself — about batting, bowling — and also about clarity and decision making under pressure. And there’s all those things. As a team, I’m sure we’ve had a bit of time off, and we’ll come together later as a T20 group, especially later in the year, to discuss that.

“The crazy thing about cricket is that it always moves on, right? I think that’s always going to be in the back of your head. But there’s always the next challenge. And that’s great. It means you can’t really dwell on what has happened. Obviously, like I said, take what you can and move on. That World Cup was a great learning curve for me and I have brought some brilliant learnings to Kolkata.”

On dealing with pressure, setbacks and perspective

“It’s a question that we’re all still trying to work out. Mostly for me, I’ve got some great mentors around me, and I lean on them, especially in that New Zealand setup. And I played under some brilliant captains. I’ve got Kane Williamson there, Mitchell Santner, all these guys to bounce ideas off.

“I speak to Kane a lot and then read, do a little bit of self-discovery for myself. And then it’s about being patient. It might seem like a small career and only a period of time in our lives, but for me, it’s calmness and patience that matters. I genuinely believe that everything happens for a reason. If you don’t believe that, then it’s hard to be sane, you know.

“As a player, you also need to accept that failure is part of our game. And it depends on what you see failure like, right? Is failure just not scoring runs? It’s probably not that. We all want to score runs. I think Rahul Dravid said this a while ago that, ‘You’re going to fail more than you succeed, especially as a batter…’

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“So, you have got to accept that you’re going to come to terms with that. But again, not scoring runs isn’t the failure. The failure is not consistently trying to improve yourself. And if you get too caught up in that, that’s when it stacks up and you’re trying to prove to others who you are and trying to show this and that.

“But that’s not really me. I’m just here. Obviously, I love enjoying the game and I love trying to get better each and every time. That’s important. That’s something I can measure it all by. And all the other stuff and noise doesn’t really matter because, again, you’re not here just for personal accolades. It’s a team game, although you want to do as well as you can. But as soon as you start leaning too much towards that, you’re in trouble.

“And if I look back to the Champions Trophy game against Bangladesh last year, I was very lucky to walk away with just a little scar leading up to the game (during the tri-series in Pakistan).

“But I was very lucky. Otherwise, an inch down and my career would have probably been over as my eye would be gone. So, these things obviously happen and you never want them to happen, but they give you perspective.

“Perspective is probably the biggest thing in our game — realising we get to do what we love for a living. And that’s important. Then there are so many things that happen to get us to this stage. So that’s at least how I see it and it helps me deal with it all.”

Switching between formats: Over the last two years, Ravindra has been a constant presence for the Kiwis across the three formats. | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash

On adapting to evolving T20 demands

“I think that’s going to be the ever-evolving thing about our game, right? I think we see how T20 is evolving. And if you’re not able to evolve as a player, then you’re going to be left behind.

“There are plenty of guys who are in that mould who can consistently do it. You only look at Virat Kohli, who does the same thing, he sort of takes his time, but has also transformed his T20 game over the last two or three years.

“So, the beauty is if the ability and skill is there, then you can transfer it across formats. And that, to me, is a challenge. I love playing all three formats. It’s a brilliant challenge. You love Test cricket, it’s beautiful. But then this part’s the freedom, right?

“And you’ve almost got to give away the notion of your wicket. In the other formats, your pride lies in spending so much time in the crease. And I’m naturally a strokemaker, so that does help. But I think when you come to this format (T20), it’s about how you can push the team forward and forget about your wicket.

“And also little technical changes which allow you to do that. But that’s always going to be the challenge for the all-format cricketer.”

On managing workload across formats

“It’s always going to be a challenge. So, if you look at it this way, me missing out on a couple of games here is actually not the worst thing for my game. We’ve got Chris Donaldson, strength & conditioning coach from New Zealand here as well. He’s an amazing guy.

“On most days, I am in the gym and running on game days and stuff, which helps build that over time, makes me prepared for what’s to come. And also the quality of training you can get here in India is outstanding, with Watto (Shane Watson), Abhishek Nayar around. So we’ve got a great crew, I am learning from them as well. It allows you to have those little training blocks when you think you might not have.

“That’s always going to be a challenge in terms of finding rest because since the ODI World Cup 2023, I really haven’t had a break. I’ve been very grateful for it because I’ve been able to play three formats and also franchise cricket around the world. But I think that there is a time where you probably do need to have a mental break and relax.

“I’ll get that at the end of The Hundred this year, sort of mid-to-late August until India comes to New Zealand. I’ve got a good almost two months to rest up and work on a few things and work on my body.”

Learning from the best: Ravindra cherished the support from the world’s best at the IPL. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

On learning from multiple coaches and having New Zealand teammates around

“It’s ultimately up to the player. I think it’s awesome having all these coaches, who are very good at what they do. They’re able to filter through what they say and it’s not just information after information. Then it’s on us as players to take what we need and make that our own. You never listen to everything blindly and you also never ignore everything because these guys are here to help you.

“They are different people, and earlier in my career, especially in the IPL, the amount of information could feel overwhelming because there’s stats, analysis, match-ups and so much data. But with experience, you get better at filtering what works for you.

“And it’s obviously nice to have the Kiwi guys here. We hang out a lot and when you’re in a long tournament away from home, it’s nice to have familiar faces around you. That’s what makes the New Zealand environment so good — we’re all such good mates.”

Published on Apr 06, 2026