There’s an inside joke within the Black Caps’ dressing room that Rachin Ravindra only scores runs in global tournaments.

So much so, teammate Devon Conway instructed the Black Caps videographer to cover Ravindra’s locker with International Cricket Council sponsor stickers during this summer, to – jokingly – make him think he was playing in a world event.

And while scores had been hard to come by for the 26-year-old to start this year’s Twenty20 World Cup, Ravindra has made sure it’s a case of better late than never as the pointy end of the tournament approaches.

As arguably New Zealand’s most important all-format batter, alongside Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra’s start to this year’s tournament had been lean.

A first-ball duck against Afghanistan was followed by 13 in defeat to South Africa, having spent the entire run chase against the UAE padded up, as Finn Allen and Tim Seifert’s world-record stand meant a 10-wicket win.

But with Super Eight qualification on the line, as the Black Caps slipped to 30-2 chasing 174 against Canada, Ravindra peeled off an unbeaten 59 from 39 balls to not just seal victory, but return to form at the perfect time.

Rachin Ravindra peeled off an unbeaten 59 from 39 balls to help defeat Canada at the T20 World Cup. Photo / Photosport

Granted, Canada are hardly world-beaters. But more so than any other form of the game, batting in T20 is about confidence, which Ravindra can now take into the next stage.

“It means a lot,” Ravindra said of his innings. “You always want to score runs, but understand the game’s quite fickle. The more you try to search for runs, the worse it gets.

“I’m always learning, I’m still young in my career, there’s still a lot to come. With T20, it’s an ever-evolving format.

“Some days are different, there’s a lot of talk of [scores of] 250-300, but the World Cup wickets haven’t been quite that.

“It’s about playing the game the way I do, and playing what’s in front of me. That’s what’s important.”

Ravindra’s innings was more important than just runs on the board. His knock means that all of New Zealand’s top four enter the Super Eight stage with at least one half-century under their belt.

Seifert began the tournament with 65 against Afghanistan, before he and Allen both added unbeaten 80s against the UAE. Meanwhile, Glenn Phillips enters the Super Eights with a 76 not out against Canada, as he and Ravindra put on 146 together to complete the win.

Glenn Phillips blazing his way to 76 against Canada. Photo / Photosport

Ravindra, though, was under the most pressure. After Kane Williamson’s retirement from the shortest format, Ravindra holds the crucial No 3 spot in the batting order, with Conway waiting in the wings if change needs to be made.

But having had the best seat in the house to watch him against Canada, Phillips insists that the Black Caps knew it was when, not if, Ravindra returned to form.

“He’s a fantastic cricketer,” he said. “It’s one of those things, class is permanent but form is temporary.

“It was a matter of time before he was going to come right again. The beauty of this team is that selection is given over a long period of time. We trust our players, we have a great group of guys.

“The trust has been built, and we know he’s going to perform over periods of time. He works incredibly hard off the field, it’s pretty hard for things not to come right when things work so hard.”

The Black Caps face Pakistan, England and co-hosts Sri Lanka in the Super Eight stage, beginning on Sunday.

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.