'No intentions there': Rachin Ravindra's father denies naming his son after Sachin and Rahul Dravid

Rachin Ravindra has been a revelation for New Zealand in the ODI World Cup. The Kiwis youngster has emerged as one of the surprising packages in the tournament and will pose a serious threat when they take on India in the 1st semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Rachin has already set a benchmark on his first visit to the Indian soil.

3 things you need to know

• India will face New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal
• India are yet to be defeated in the tournament
• Rachin Ravindra has been the man to watch out for

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Rachin Ravindra has been in brilliant form for New Zealand

The 23-year-old has already defied the expectations and if India are to dethrone the Kiwis from their perch the wicket of the Kiwis batsman should be their top priority. Not only with the bat he could also be useful with the ball as his left arm spin could spell trouble for the opponent batsman. With 565 runs in 9 matches, he is one of the stand-out players and it remains to be seen how he handles the Indian bowling lineup which has been at the top throughout the tournament.

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Rachin Ravindra's father clears the air on his son's name

There have been rumours hovering around that Rachin Ravindra's name is derived from Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. But his father explained that his son is not named after the two Indian stalwarts. In an interaction with the Print his father said:

When Rachin was born, my wife suggested the name, and we didn't spend a lot of time discussing it.

The name sounded good, was easy to spell, and short, so we decided to go with it. It was only some years later that we realised the name was a mix of Rahul and Sachin's names. He wasn't named with the intention to make our child a cricketer or anything of the sort.

India defeated the Netherlands in Bengaluru to end the group stage unbeaten and all the focus will now be shifted to the World Cup knockouts. Four years ago, they lost to New Zealand in the semifinal, and the Men in Blue will be adamant to avenge their heartbreaking loss.