Rachin Ravindra will carry that reassuring 'home game' feeling with him when the New Zealand top batsman takes the field for the first Test against India here on Wednesday. After all, his family roots are firmly rooted in Bengaluru. His parents Ravi Krishnamurthy and Deepa are from the city while his grandparents T. Balakrishna Adiga, a noted educationist, and Poornima still live here and a cozy family get-together before the game is also planned.

“It’s different playing a Test match. They're here for five days and it's a tradition, you know, Test cricket is the highlight. I think it becomes even more meaningful because of the family connection,” said Ravindra.

Ravi, his father, has come from Wellington to watch his son play Test cricket in a city where he spent his formative years playing club cricket.

“There will be a lot of them in the crowd and I know Dad will be here watching. Those moments, you know, you pinch yourself on the journey and this is definitely one,” Ravindra said.

The 24-year-old was born and raised in Wellington, but the “Indianness” within him still burns brightly.

“I was born and raised in Wellington, you know, I’m a Kiwi through and through. For me it's great and I'm very proud of my Indian heritage and it's very special to be able to play where a lot of my family lives,” he added.

Try Cricket + Family

Hear from Rachin Ravindra about the opportunity to play Test cricket in India and the very special family connection he has in Bengaluru #INDvNZ #CricketNation pic.twitter.com/4Tvf5ByN2i

– BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 14, 2024

However, this is not the first time that Ravindra is playing in Bengaluru.

The graceful left-hander played in the ODI World Cup at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium last year and scored 108 against Pakistan. He then returned to the venue during the IPL 2024 in the deep yellow jersey of the Chennai Super Kings.

Ravindra eased these memories.

“Yeah, it’s cool, I think. The last time I was here it was probably the IPL and before that the ODI World Cup. So being part of two very good teams and having those experiences were two pretty cool experiences,” he added.

But then Ravindra would know that coming home is a feeling that will always have a certain warmth about it even after a thousand times.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)