Rachin Ravindra fended 91 balls in the final innings of the first Test match to sneak off a draw for New Zealand at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium on Monday. Bad light and a gritty display by the Kiwi tail saw India miss the win by one wicket as the Kiwis finished 165/9 chasing a 284-run target. 

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Debutant Ravindra said that he felt “big relief” when his side managed to survive by the barest of margins. Ajaz Patel (2 off 23 balls) remained unbeaten for the Kiwis along Ravindra. 

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“It was a pretty incredible moment I think, taking in the crowd and how loud they were and all the fielders around the bat. It’s the kind of stuff you dream about as a kid. You watch test matches like that and that’s where your heroes and your idols are made,” Ravindra said in a video shared by New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

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He described the Test as ‘stuff of dreams’. India, riding on Shreyas Iyer’s brilliant show in both innings, had set a daunting 284-run target for New Zealand to chase when the bounce was staying low. 

“It’s the stuff of dreams being able to take in the crowd. I know my process, I have done my training and I backed myself to do this. It was like a big relief, I was thinking ball after ball, ball after ball, ‘how many overs to go’ and obviously a big relief,” Rachin Ravindra said. 

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“As we move forward towards the next game, it’s important we enjoy whatever happened in the last five days,” he signed off.

The two sides will now go to Mumbai for the second and final Test of the series that starts on Friday. 

The two sides will now face off in Mumbai for the second and the final Test of the series on Friday.