Rachin Ravindra admits 'Virat Kohli punished New Zealand' but makes a bold claim

The 24-year-old New Zealand National Cricket Team batting all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has claimed that the India National Cricket Team batting superstar Virat Kohli punished the Kiwis with his stunning batting performance in the first Test.

Rachin's remarks came after Kohli smashed a terrific half-century against the BlackCaps at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Day 3 of the Test series opener.

Virat Kohli is obviously a great player, he punished us but - Rachin Ravindra

After bagging a duck in the first innings while batting at No.3 after 8 years in Test cricket, Kohli redeemed himself with a stunning fifty in the second innings.

He came out to bat after the dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal and stitched up a crucial partnership with Sarfaraz Khan. Kohli got off the mark on his 15th ball, but once he got settled, he looked amazing in the middle.

The way he was batting, Virat Kohli looked set for a century. However, Glenn Phillips dismissed him on the last ball of Day 3, breaking the hearts of the Indian dressing room as well as fans.

Kohli took a long walk back to the pavilion after scoring 70 runs off 102 balls. His innings was studded with 8 fours and 1 six.

Meanwhile, the Kiwi sensation Rachin Ravindra spoke to the broadcasters after the conclusion of play on Day 3 and said that Virat Kohli punished his team but claimed that they still have a lot of runs on the board to play with. He said:

"Virat is obviously a great player, he punished us but we’ve still got a lot of runs to play with."

Was just trying to build partnerships - Rachin Ravindra

Rachin Ravindra batted brilliantly in New Zealand's first innings and frustrated the Indian bowlers. He smashed a brilliant ton and finished with a score of 134 runs off 157 balls.

Ravindra's stellar batting ensured New Zealand took a massive first-innings lead, posting 402 runs on the board after bowling India out for 46 runs on Day 2.

Rachin Ravindra also spoke about his sensational 137-run partnership with Tim Southee, saying that they were very clear about what they needed to do. He stated:

"Was just trying to build partnerships. That partnership with Tim (Southee) really helped me out; the objective was clear, and we knew what we needed to do."

It’s a lovely wicket to bat - Rachin Ravindra

Rachin Ravindra further said that he enjoyed playing on the Chinnaswamy surface as it was a good pitch to bat on and expressed delight over the presence of his father in the stands during the first Test. He elaborated:

"(On Bengaluru) It’s a little bit comforting although the wicket is completely different, nice knowing the surroundings. It’s a lovely wicket to bat. Not really superstitious.

"Great to have him (his father) here, it’s his hometown, also have some family here. Great crowd here as well. I actually took the whole booklet (of ticket allocations)."

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