Black Caps v Sri Lanka: Rachin Ravindra shrugs off New Zealand’s spin weakness in hunt for series draw

Rachin Ravindra is dismissed on day five of the first test. Photo / Sri Lanka Cricket

With little time to pick themselves off the canvas and go again after an opening test loss to Sri Lanka, the Black Caps are shrugging off their perceived issues against spin.

Chasing 275 runs in the fourth innings for victory in Galle, the Black Caps fell short by 63 runs, and slipped to a 0-1 series scoreline with one test to play.

However, with that being held at the same venue - where New Zealand have never won a test match - the Black Caps need to rebound quickly before it begins on Thursday.

In predictable conditions, Sri Lanka’s victory was built on that of their spin attack. Of the 20 New Zealand wickets that fell over the five days, 18 of them were against the spinners. And of the 18, 12 came either bowled or LBW.

As test cricket moves towards teams looking to play to their strengths in home conditions, Sri Lanka’s tactics are nothing new. Australia, England and South Africa have also been met with similar wickets, that favour spin over all other bowlers.

Now, though, the Black Caps must find a way to combat Sri Lanka’s advantage. But given the fact that Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers bowled just 23 out of more than 161 overs in the test, it’s natural more wickets would fall to spin.

For Rachin Ravindra, who top-scored in New Zealand’s fourth innings chase with 92, the Black Caps issues aren’t as troublesome as they appear as they hunt a drawn series.

“I wouldn’t say there’s ever a quick fix - I also don’t think there’s too many issues,” he said. “Yes, we lost the game, and it’s definitely disappointing. But there’s a lot of positives to take from that.

“The way we approached the game was great. Our mindset towards playing spin was great. There’s a few moments we could have seized, and that’s test cricket. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that next time.

“The biggest thing for us is to trust what we do, trust ourselves as a team, and commit to individual plans. Hopefully it accumulates to five good days of cricket.”

For a player like Ravindra, on his first tour of Sri Lanka as a Black Cap, having experience around him has been vital.

In Asia, Tom Latham’s batting average is 42.33, better than his overall career record of 39.97. Kane Williamson also averages a very healthy 48.55 on the subcontinent.

What’s more, the Black Caps also have Sri Lanka great Rangana Herath in their dressing room as an assistant to their spinners. With three tests in India to come after the Sri Lanka series, there will be plenty more of the trial by spin over the coming weeks.

Five years ago, the Black Caps were in a similar boat against Sri Lanka, losing the first test in Galle before coming back to draw the series in Colombo to earn their maiden world test championship points - before winning the inaugural title two years later.

And with that experience on board, the class of 2024 know they’re capable of doing the same this time around.

“It has been spoken about, earlier on in the tour,” added Ravindra. “It showed the never-say-die attitude in the Black Caps, the drive for each other to try and keep pushing on.

“We’re all disappointed, that’s natural. But we’re all competitive people. We’re all going to look at what we did, learn from that and hopefully put together a more complete performance next time.”

On a personal note, Ravindra should reflect positively on the way he played in the first test. In a situation where his senior colleagues fell around him, the 24-year-old excelled.

Rachin Ravindra was unbeaten at stumps on day four in Galle. Photo / Sri Lanka Cricket

This time last year, Ravindra was yet to seal a place as a Black Caps regular, but now has a stranglehold on the No 4 position in the batting order - formerly occupied by the likes of Martin Crowe and Ross Taylor.

But with no shortage of quality innings to choose from - including three World Cup centuries and a maiden test double-ton against South Africa - Ravindra holds this knock in just as high regard.

“It’s definitely up there,” he said. “You always dream of yourself in challenging situations.

“Chasing in the fourth innings in Asia is certainly a special opportunity. It would rank up there if we won the game, to be honest.

“But it’s nice to be able to go through a process, and my plan and know that it’s there, and challenge myself against top quality test bowlers.

“That’s what’s important for me. It’s hard to rank knocks, in the moment you’re doing what you can for the team.

“I don’t necessarily look too much at the past, but it’s definitely up there.”

Alex Powell is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.