England v New Zealand: Meet Rachin Ravindra - the all-rounder inspired by Shane Watson theories

Rachin Ravindra has scored just 128 runs across 15 T20 innings for New Zealand

Rachin Ravindra begins by suggesting a two-month hole in his cricketing calendar was for an "extended break" and a "little bit of relaxation time".

Five minutes into a conversation with the New Zealand all-rounder, it becomes clear that is not the whole truth.

Sure, Ravindra may not have played any professional cricket between his country's white-ball trip to Pakistan in May and a pre-England visit to the United Arab Emirates, but being a cricket "nuffy" - an obsessive - Ravindra opted to spend July in India with Hutt Hawks.

Although technically an amateur side, the Hawks' standard is high - as well as Ravindra, tourists included six-time T20 international Ben Sears, plus Troy Johnson, a team-mate of Ravindra's at Wellington Firebirds, and several others with first-class experience.

"I always love going back to India," Ravindra, 23, tells BBC Sport.

His parents are from Bangalore, emigrating to New Zealand in the 1990s. Ravindra also made his Test debut there in late 2021, batting for 91 balls in the fading Kanpur light to help New Zealand rescue a draw.

Father Ravi runs the Hawks' tours, having formed the club - named after Wellington's Lower Hutt district - in 2011.

"Dad was just like, 'OK, map out what you want'," says Ravindra.

He opted for a handful of games, including one at the 55,000-capacity Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

The rest of the time was spent honing his left-arm spin and left-hand batting in the nets.

"You get net bowlers lining up for hours - they have their phones out filming so that if they get a wicket, they can add it to social media.," says Ravindra.

Does that inhibit his training? Ravindra laughs. "You certainly think about it!" he says. "But then you're like, 'I'm here to work on things, so it doesn't matter if I get out a million times, as long as I've got a specific focus'.

"That's the whole thing about putting your ego aside, especially in the nets. Obviously when in the middle you're hopefully going out with the confidence and belief you can do anything - you're 10ft tall and bulletproof.

"But in the nets, you're stripping that back and being like, 'how can I get better?'.

"Having that learning and growth mindset means you can get little nuggets of gold from anyone. If you're not looking to improve yourself, you're doing yourself a disservice."

Ravindra has been in love with cricket, its nuances, and foibles for as long as he can remember. A schoolboy prodigy, he appeared at a pair of Under-19 World Cups. But his dad has been a constant presence as coach and mentor.

"There are times, especially growing up, you get frustrated, and you have those knockbacks, that you and your dad clash heads," he said. "But we chat through things a lot. He can't really flick as much as he used to - he coached a few of us and I think we've broken him down. Dad probably thinks it's pretty special too, he'd just never say that!"

Rachin Ravindra has taken 17 wickets across three formats in international cricket so far

Ravindra has appeared in all three formats for New Zealand, but to date he lacks that breakout performance. He toured England with the Test squad last summer before stopping off for what proved a productive week in Durham.

"It was a good wicket to bat on, lucky enough for me," says Ravindra with a grin. Signed on a one-match deal, he made 217 against Worcestershire at Chester-le-Street.

That was as an opener - his natural position. But having opened in five T20Is in 2021, Ravindra returned to the New Zealand side this year in a different role.

"I'm still enjoying it a lot," he says of his floating middle-order spot. "It's different but I've developed my game. You can have your own spin, your own contribution on the game.

"You get the opportunity to finish games off whether it's first or second innings. You can put your team in a good spot to win the game, or you win the game, which is quite cool. Every kid dreams of hitting the winning runs for their country - having the opportunity to do that is pretty cool."

Ravindra is a bright presence. His smile is broad, his enthusiasm effusive. In his world, lots of things are "pretty cool". He is also a deep thinker about the game though, spending hours reading up on psychology.

He is an NBA fan and has tapped into the literature of mindfulness expert George Mumford. But it is former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson's 'Winning the Inner Battle' that has piqued Ravindra's recent interest.

"He talks about the results equation - results = A x B," Ravindra begins in an unexpected algebra lesson. "'A' stuff is what you can control - your preparation, training, pre-ball routines, focus on the ball. 'B' stuff is what happens when you're in the game. The uncontrollable stuff - umpiring decisions, bowlers having an incredible day.

"The whole thing is that yes, you can do all you can to prepare yourself, but there might be a factor that results in you not having an amazing game. That takes a lot of pressure off.

"Otherwise, you're thinking, 'I'm doing all this work in nets, I'm spending four hours a day batting, I've got all the right habits, why isn't this working?'.

"You tense up. The more you try, the worse it gets. Instead, it's like, 'I'm doing all I can, there's going to be a couple of factors I can't control'.

"It doesn't mean I use them as excuses. I obviously work at training to make those 'B' factors have not as much effect. But then it's like, 'I'm allowed to fail, let me see what I can do next'. I think that's such an amazing lesson."

Back in 2015, Ravindra was among the Wellington crowd for Tim Southee's seven-wicket haul in a thrashing of England at the 50-over World Cup.

A strong September would give him every chance of lining up alongside Southee in New Zealand's opening match of this year's tournament against England on 5 October.

Ravindra's attitude is typically relaxed: "You relish every single chance you get and if it culminates in a World Cup, like awesome, but any chance I get I enjoy it."