New Delhi: Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar showered praise on New Zealand's record-breaking duo Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra for their sizzling display against South Africa in the second semi-final of the Champions Trophy.
With a swashbuckling display at the placid strip of the scenic Gaddafi Stadium, Williamson and Rachin blazed their way to centuries, lifting New Zealand to a record-shattering 362/6 total in the tournament's history.
Williamson, a seasoned batter in New Zealand's current ranks, tonked 102 (94), making him the highest run-getter for the Kiwis in the tournament's history and the first to cross the 19,000 international runs milestone for his nation.
"A clinical and well-deserved century and a brilliant records as the first New Zealand batter to score 19,000 runs in international cricket. Well done, legend," Yuvraj wrote on Instagram.
It was Williamson's third consecutive hundred against South Africa in as many ODI innings, making him the first batter from New Zealand to achieve the feat and the first player ever to do so against Proteas.
On the other hand, the young southpaw sent shivers down the spine of South African bowlers with his searing 108(101). Rachin celebrated his fifth century in ODIs, and surprisingly, all of his landmark scores in the format have come in ICC tournaments.
Manjrekar was impressed with the "serious talent" of Rachin and Williamson, who effortlessly boasted a strike rate of 108.51 with his soft touch.
"Rachin Ravindra has some serious talent and a great attitude. Scoring ICC hundreds for fun, he does. As for Kane well he showed us that high strike rates can be attained by a soft touch too," Manjrekar wrote on X.
Rachin's batting average of 67.00 in ICC ODI tournaments is the highest in the pool of 80 batters, with a minimum of 750 runs in these tournaments. In his limited appearances, Rachin has garnered 804 runs in 13 innings with two fifties and five hundreds. (ANI)