By Niharika Raina

Ranchi, Nov 19 (IANS): New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra believes that prioritising rest and taking mind off the game along with sleep and nutrition is the key in managing yourself in a tight schedule. He added that with matches happening back-to-back, there is always an opportunity in doing well in the next match.

With New Zealand 0-1 down in the three-match T20I series against India, they will be hoping to square the series in Ranchi on Friday.

"There's quite a tightly jammed schedule, especially with the T20 World Cup happening for those guys. But I think it's about managing that and understanding you might not be able to get as many training sessions in there as you would like. But prioritising your rest and doing what takes your mind off the game and also remember that there's a series. I think looking after your sleep and nutrition and everything like that. Even though you might not have a good game last time, luckily those games are back-to-back. So, there's always opportunities in this one," said Ravindra while replying to a question from IANS in a virtual interaction on Thursday.

Ravindra, who has played six T20Is, was originally named in the Test squad but was drafted into the playing eleven for the first T20I in Jaipur on Wednesday. With the bat, he made seven before being bowled by Mohammed Siraj. Talking about his unexpected inclusion, Ravindra said, "It's been a bit crazy. I have been preparing a lot for Test cricket over the last one week. So, Neesh (James Neesham) ended up having a bit of a tummy bug and Steady (coach Gary Stead) came to be about this. 'Look, you are playing well. Get prepared. Play some white ball'."

With dew undoubtedly going to play a big role in deciding the outcome of the series, Ravindra feels that adapting to the conditions will be important while thinking of ways in tackling. "I think conditions are completely different to what we get in New Zealand. But I guess it is hard to tackle the dew factor. We don't get any sort of night games. But I think it is about trying to adapt to that. Obviously, the guys in the UAE with the T20 World Cup experienced a bit of that. But I think it's about trying to manage that as a group and understanding what we might need to do differently."

The left-arm spin all-rounder, who turned 22 on Thursday, isn't any stranger to touring the country due to his Indian origins. His father, Ravi Krishnamurthy, a software engineer by profession is also the founder of the Hutt Hawks Cricket Club in Wellington and used to take teams for tour matches in India before COVID-19 pandemic arrived.

"I was born in Wellington, New Zealand and bred there. Both my parents are from Bangalore. They lived there until their mid-20s or early 20s. Then they moved to New Zealand and have been here for 23 years or something like that. I have visited India a lot actually. Apart from COVID, my dad used to take cricket teams to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Anantpur and all those sorts of areas to play cricket, which has been an amazing experience."

He clarified that his first name is a hybrid of names of current India head coach Rahul Dravid and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. But it isn't something he likes to talk about too much or make a big deal of. Instead, he looks forward to interacting with Dravid during the ongoing tour. "I am not too sure. I have never really asked mum or dad about where my names come from. I guess you would have to ask them. Dravid is an absolute legend of the game and played a bit of cricket against him when he was coaching A team a couple of years ago. I would love to interact a little more during this series. But he's an absolute legend of the game. So, if I can pick his brains, it would be amazing."