Rachin is the latest sensation in the cricket world, with his form playing a major role in New Zealand’s entry into the semi-final. The 23-year-old has made 565 runs in nine innings at an average of 70.62, scoring three hundreds and two fifties.

While Rachin has made news for his on-field performances, he also caused a flutter over his name, with the popular story being that his name was a mix of the two legends’ as his parents were big cricket fans. The India-origin left-hander’s father, however, has now clarified that his name was not deliberate.

Speaking to The Print, Ravi Krishnamurthy 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.”

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It is interesting to note that Rachin earlier claimed that he was indeed named after Rahul and Sachin. “Back in the day when Mum and Dad were deciding the names, they both liked Rahul and Sachin, so “Ra” from Rahul and “chin” from Sachin, but that was a long time ago. We don’t talk about it much anymore. Two amazing players, very lucky to be named after them.”

Rachin’s grandfather Balakrishna Adiga had also confirmed the same. “My daughter and son-in-law were big fans of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, so they coined a new name Rachin and named their son.”

New Zealand play India in the first semi-final of the 2023 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15.