When the ball smashed into Rachin Ravindra's face during the opening match of the tri-series in Pakistan, not many thought that he would return for the ICC Champions Trophy in time. He missed the rest of the tri-series and also didn't play the opening game of the showpiece event against hosts Pakistan. But the left-handed batter made a stunning comeback against Bangladesh and in the process, also broke Sachin Tendulkar's major record in ICC ODI events.
For the unversed, Ravindra smashed a brilliant century scoring 112 runs in the 237-run chase for New Zealand helping them get over the line. This was his fourth century in the ICC ODI events - World Cup and Champions Trophy at the age of just 25. He became the youngest and the player with most centuries in ICC ODI events at the age of 25 or less breaking Sachin Tendulkar's 27-year-old record.
At the age of 25, Tendulkar scored three centuries in the ICC ODI events and held the record since 1998. However, Ravindra took only 11 innings in mega events to go past the master blaster. The Kiwi batter has scored 690 runs so far in 11 innings played in World Cup and Champions Trophy combined at an average of 69 and a strike rate of 106.48. On the other hand, Sachin amassed 955 runs in 16 innings at an average of 68.21 with three centuries to his name by the age of 25.
Meanwhile, Rachin Ravindra is also now the player with the most centuries for New Zealand in ICC ODI events. Kane Williamson and Nathan Astle were on top of this list with three centuries but now Ravindra has taken over scoring four tons in only 11 innings. He is only 25 currently and is certainly a candidate to hold this record for his country in the upcoming decades.
