Rachin Ravindra may not have spent much time in the middle during IPL 2026, but the New Zealand all-rounder believes the experience, along with conversations with some of the game’s modern greats, has left him well prepared for a demanding stretch of Test cricket.As New Zealand gear up for their historic first men’s Test against Ireland later this month, followed by a three-match series in England, Ravindra says he feels mentally refreshed after an early return home from his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders, where opportunities were limited.He left the KKR camp before the end of the season, a decision he says was handled smoothly and with full support from the franchise.“I mean KKR were very welcoming and understanding of the situation. Obviously, the way it was going, I wasn’t playing. The decision was spoken to the CEO and the coach about potentially coming home for a refresh and obviously not knowing I’d be home until… Well, I wouldn’t be home until late August because of what’s to come,” Ravindra was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.“So, really awesome from them to be able to say, go home, refresh, do a bit of training and what you need before joining the boys in Ireland. Because there was always going to be a little bit of an overlap. It made it easier since I wasn’t playing. It’s a great little refresh. We spend so much time away from home and even four or five days at home, which I’ve had, is fantastic,” he added.Despite not getting consistent game time in the IPL, Ravindra insisted he does not feel undercooked heading into a busy red-ball assignment.“I haven’t played a game in a little while, and sort of obviously running the drinks in the IPL and getting opportunities to train and talk to guys has been great. But to be honest, I don’t really feel too out of match practice. I think it was a very, very hectic schedule beforehand,” he said.He used the short break back in New Zealand to fine-tune his Test preparations, including a couple of sessions in Christchurch as he shifted focus from T20 franchise cricket to the demands of the longer format.“But yeah, I think part of the reason being able to come home for five days or so and do a little bit of training and prepare for what’s to come because we know Test cricket is super important, especially a series in Ireland and England. So I just wanted to give myself the best chance. I was down in Christchurch for a day and had a couple of training sessions down there. I had some nice grass facilities,” he added.A major takeaway from his IPL season, Ravindra suggested, was the access to experienced international figures, which he believes has strengthened his tactical understanding ahead of Tests in English conditions.“There’s benefits to playing cricket and training. There’s also massive benefits being in the IPL too. I mean, you get to talk to someone like Ajinkya Rahane, who’s a lovely man who’s played so much cricket overseas, scored a hundred at Lord’s and played so much cricket against England and Australia away,” the Kiwi batter stated.He also highlighted the value of insights from coaches and senior professionals around him, including former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, and the chance to pick the brains of top Indian players.“The coach (Abhishek Nayar) used to be the assistant batting coach for India. You got Shane Watson, who is our batting coach, who has played England a lot, coached a lot of guys who have played England. So it’s sort of, it’s more than just the T20 as well. Being able to sit down and talk to Virat Kohli about batting or talking to KL Rahul – all these guys who’ve done well and had success over periods of time,” he noted.For Ravindra, the brief IPL stint without regular match action has also coincided with a timely reset ahead of what he expects to be a challenging tour, particularly in seaming conditions.
