Twitter erupted in joy after New Zealand's Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra joined an elite list of cricketers who have scored a hundred on their World Cup debuts. Interestingly, the select group features Virat Kohli, the current king of ODI cricket. 

 

Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra's feat came in New Zealand's 2023 Cricket World Cup opener against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. 

 

After New Zealand won the toss and chose to field, the Kiwi bowlers stifled England's top order, never allowing them to score freely or deploy what they call the ‘Bazball' style of play that has won them so many games of late.

 

Except for premier batter Joe Root, none of the England batters got going in the contest, with the New Zealand bowlers pegging them back with wickets at regular intervals.

 

In the end, England could only finish with 282/9 for nine on the board on an easy-paced Ahmedabad track, with Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner being the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with figures of 3/48 and 2/37, respectively.

 

In reply, New Zealand began their innings on a worst possible note, losing Will Young for a golden duck in Sam Curran's first over, with their score reading 1/10 at that stage.

 

However, Young's departure brought Rachin Ravindra to the crease, who took little time to adjust to the pace and bounce of the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium. 

 

Subsequently, alongside his partner Devon Convey, Rachin Ravindra unleashed a batting masterclass in Ahmedabad as both men fired on all cylinders to take the English bowlers to the cleaners.

 

It became all too easy for Devon Convey and Rachin Ravindra as they toyed with England's speedsters and spinners, romping to a lop-sided nine-wicket triumph with 13.4 overs to spare. 

 

While Devon Convey remained unbeaten on 152 off 121 deliveries, Rachin Ravindra stayed not out on 123 off 96 balls, leaving defending champions England completely bruised with their onslaught of power hitting.

 

In the process, Devon Convey and Rachin Ravindra matched Virat Kohli's mega feat. Like the India talisman, who smashed a hundred on his World Cup debut in 2011, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Convey made centuries on their World Cup debuts in the 2023 edition of the event. 

 

Virat Kohli scored an 83-ball unbeaten hundred against Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup, marking a major milestone in his career. 

 

Though Virat Kohli did not touch the three-figure mark in the following games, he did lay his hands on the World Cup trophy as MS Dhoni and his boys claimed the title dominantly at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

 Rachin Ravindra described his and New Zealand's outing in Ahmedabad as “great” before praising his batting partner Devon Convey.

“Sometimes it's unbelievable at times, but great to have a great day out. The bowlers bowled well and lucky enough to have Devon out there. I spent a lot of time with Dev and we are very, very close mates. I was little more comfortable and I have a lot of chat with Dev – being able to do that in the middle is cool. For sure, if you asked us four-five years, we all knew the kind of player Dev would become. The surface was very good and lovely to bat on, similar to the warm-up game in Hyderabad,” Rachin Ravindra said at the post-match presentation ceremony where he picked up the Player of the Match award. 

Even New Zealand skipper Tom Latham was in awe of Rachin Ravindra and Devon Convey's batting. 

 

“Obviously, a fantastic partnership between Rachin and Devon. Probably, the most pleasing thing was Devon and Rachin just reacted to what was being bowled. Rachin played a fantastic innings and proud of him. Looking forward to get around him tonight,” Tom Latham said.       

 

“From the 30-over mark onwards, to restrict them to 280 was fantastic. It has been a quick build-up – the warm-ups and guys from Bangladesh. We've played a bit in these conditions and I thought we adapted to these conditions beautifully. The two seamers – Henners and Boulty – did a great job and took wickets at crucial times. To restrict them to 280 was outstanding,” he added.

 

On the other hand, England captain Jos Buttler labeled England's performance at the Narendra Modi Stadium as “disappointing.”

“Disappointing day. Very much outplayed by NZ and tough defeat to take. It's still one loss in a long tournament. I think a lot of guys in our team have played a lot of cricket – we won't be too down on ourselves and won't be too high on the other side,” Jos Buttler stated.

 

“I thought we were well below par. We were aiming for somewhere around 330 and it [the pitch] somewhat played better under lights. We just lacked being clinical with our execution. Some of the dismissals were right shots but not executed properly,” he elaborated. 

“I think NZ played some great cricket shots and got great value for them. Devon Conway – can't think of massive shots but he scored quickly. Him and Rachin put together a fantastic partnership and we were well beaten,” Jos Buttler pointed out. 

 

“I think the pitch skidded on better under lights but we played a long way short of our best. Don't think there's any question around Root. He's been our best player in our team for a long while,” the England captain concluded.