Lahore [Pakistan], March 6 : After New Zealand’s commanding victory over South Africa in the semi-final of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday, former skipper Kane Williamson praised opener Rachin Ravindra for his outstanding performance. Ravindra, who was named the Player of the Match, scored a remarkable 108 runs off 101 balls, featuring 13 boundaries and one six.
Ravindra’s stellar knock was instrumental in New Zealand’s massive total, as he formed an outstanding partnership with Williamson. Together, they added 164 runs from 154 balls for the second wicket before Ravindra was dismissed in the 34th over by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada. Williamson, too, contributed significantly, scoring 102 runs off 94 balls, which included 10 fours and two sixes.
“It’s always great to bat with (Ravindra), incredibly special talent. We missed him while he had his little injury for a while there, but he just took a couple of weeks off, came back and is batting beautifully. Great to watch,” Williamson said in the post-match press conference.
He continued, “He goes out, and he puts the team first, and he plays with that freedom. When we were out there batting together, there were moments where there were some good spells, and it was a little bit challenging. We tried to feed off each other and keep each other focused on the job.”
While the Kiwis are celebrating their victory, their focus is now on the final against India, set to take place on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. New Zealand will be looking to learn from their earlier group-stage loss to India, hoping to put up a better performance in the much-awaited decider.
Squads:
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.