Cricket ran in Rachin Ravindra's blood. A fanatic for the sport, the Wellington-born cricketer, in his initial days, would watch the highlights of Kumar Sangakkara, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar for cover drives, pick-ups over mid-wicket, pull shots, cut shots and straight drives and practice at the indoor nets with his father.

Decades later, Ravindra still trying to carve his own identity for New Zealand at international cricket. Although the southpaw, hasn't been able to get his footing in the shortest format, he is one of the best in Tests and ODIs, especially after the retirement of Kane Williamson.

With the likes of Hayden, Ponting, Lara, Tendulkar and Sangakkara, all retired from the game, Ravindra's focus shifted to modern-day greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, observing closely from afar.

“They’re the two guys (Rohit and Kohli) I’ve idolised for a very long time. I’ve modelled by batting a bit on them and have taken things from what they have been doing,” Rachin was quoted as saying by TOI. For Kohli, the former Indian captain carried on the baton passed by his idol Tendulkar.

On the other Rohit has carved his own niche. Having started his career at no.6, the right-handed swashbuckling batter turned out to be one of the destroyers at the top order after being pushed up to open the innings in 2013. Close to two decades, Rohit holds the record for the highest score (264) in ODIs, while Kohli is the owner of 86 international hundreds.

“They have done it for such a long time, won trophies and remained consistent while creating some fantastic moments,” he added. As India play five ODIs against New Zealand in November, Ravindra will have another opportunity to observe his idols from close vicinity.

According to Ravindra, watching Kohli and Rohit is beyond technique. “Watching the way Virat plays in bouncy conditions and the way Rohit plays spin has influenced me in several ways. Beyond technique, it is about their grit and determination.

"Kohli’s hundreds in challenging situations and Rohit’s free-flowing, fearless approach at the top are qualities I try to take from both. So, picking their brains a little bit over the years has been fantastic,” Ravindra said. Besides international cricket, Ravindra has also had the opportunity to get up close with Kohli and Rohit in the Indian Premier League.

The highlight of Ravindra's career came during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. The New Zealand batter amassed 578 runs, and also became the first Kiwi to hit three hundreds in a single ODI World Cup. In the same tournament, Kohli finished with 765 runs and Rohit with 594.