New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) As New Zealand prepare for a landmark first-ever men’s Test against Ireland later this month, Rachin Ravindra believes a brief return home after leaving the IPL early has helped him mentally and physically reset ahead of a demanding red-ball tour.
New Zealand departed for Ireland on Saturday for the one-off four-day Test from May 27-30 before beginning a three-match Test series against England.
Ravindra left the Kolkata Knight Riders camp before the conclusion of IPL 2026 after finding limited opportunities in the playing XI. However, the left-hander said KKR were supportive of his decision to head back early and prepare for national duty.
“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,” Ravindra was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“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.
Despite spending most of the IPL season on the sidelines, Ravindra insisted he does not feel short of match preparation ahead of the UK tour.
“I haven’t played a game in a little while, and sort of obviously running the drinks in the IPL and getting opportunities to train and talk to guys has been great. But to be honest, I don’t really feel too out of match practice. I think it was a very, very hectic schedule beforehand,” he said.
The left-handed all-rounder used the short break at home to work on his red-ball preparation before linking up with the New Zealand squad.
“But yeah, I think part of the reason being able to come home for five days or so and do a little bit of training and prepare for what’s to come because we know Test cricket is super important, especially a series in Ireland and England. So I just wanted to give myself the best chance. I was down in Christchurch for a day and had a couple of training sessions down there. I had some nice grass facilities,” he added.
Ravindra also highlighted how his IPL experience provided valuable learning opportunities beyond the T20 format itself, particularly through conversations with experienced international cricketers and coaches.
“There’s benefits to playing cricket and training. There’s also massive benefits being in the IPL too. I mean, you get to talk to someone like Ajinkya Rahane, who’s a lovely man who’s played so much cricket overseas, scored a hundred at Lord’s and played so much cricket against England and Australia away,” the Kiwi batter stated.
“The coach (Abhishek Nayar0 used to be the assistant batting coach for India. You got Shane Watson, who is our batting coach, who has played England a lot, coached a lot of guys who have played England. So it’s sort of, it’s more than just the T20 as well. Being able to sit down and talk to Virat (Kohli) about batting or talking to KL Rahul – all these guys who’ve done well and had success over periods of time,” he noted.
New Zealand head into the tour with a pace-heavy squad featuring the returning Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry and Ben Sears alongside the towering Will O’Rourke. Ravindra expressed excitement over the depth in New Zealand’s fast-bowling resources.
“I think we had a few injuries last summer and super excited to have those boys back. Obviously, Matt Henry, who missed the last couple of Tests, Blair Tickner, who is bowling so well, and the big man Will O’Rourke. Nathan Smith coming back, Ben Sears is fit, we’ve got a serious pace battery, which I’m excited to face at the nets,” Ravindra said.
He reserved special praise for O’Rourke’s recent performances, saying, “I remember Will O’Rourke the way he was bowling in his last Test series in Zimbabwe actually and the way he was bowling against England at home was fantastic. So, looking forward to see him on the park again. Truly exciting times for New Zealand cricket and we’ve got so much depth.”
With no specialist spinner named in the squad, Ravindra also indicated he is ready to contribute with his left-arm spin if required.
“Always interested with my bowling. Sometimes, it tends to take a back seat, but definitely trying to do a little more of that. Had some opportunities at the T20 World Cup, which was cool. On some occasional sporting wickets, it was nice to get some overs in, but Test cricket is a different beast. With the different ball, have to be a bit more consistent. I’ll work on that with GP when I can,” he said.
While the Ireland Test will not count towards the World Test Championship standings, Ravindra stressed that New Zealand will not underestimate the hosts despite injury concerns in the Irish camp.
“I mean, Ireland (are) obviously a Test-playing nation. They have quality cricketers and I’m not too sure what the pitch conditions will be like, but obviously it’s a great lead-in to the England Test series, but you can’t necessarily take any team lightly as you’ve seen in world events of late,” the middle-order batter concluded.
–IANS
vi/