How fortunes can change in a year! Rinku Singh’s transformation from a struggling young cricketer to the next big thing has taken less than 12 months. The left-handed batter on Thursday earned a call-up to India’s ODI squad in the IND vs SA series on three back of his impressive T20 performances.
Rinku Singh only played four matches in his first season for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), failing to make a mark. After missing the 2021 IPL with a knee injury, Rinku Singh received his first man of the match award in 2022 with an innings of 43.
Despite his failure to get going properly, KKR backed his talent and retained him in the 2023 auction. He set the stage ablaze in the 2023 IPL, earning a name as a specialist finisher. Rinku announced himself on the international stage in a special manner, hitting five consecutive sixes in the last over against Gujarat Titans with KKR needing 28 runs of five balls. He followed it up with some other brilliant performances, earning himself his first T20 call up against Ireland.
Rinku has been in fine touch in List A cricket too. He has shown he can adapt to the demands of the game by playing innings according to the pace of the format. He has an average of over 40 in both Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 1108 runs in 40 matches in One Day format. His average is slightly better in T20s where he has scored 924 runs in 38 matches.
A shaky performance against Ireland might have made things tougher for Rinku with many able batters knocking the door, but Rinku dazzled once again in the T20I series, scoring a quickfire 38 of 21 balls in the 2nd T20I. The innings earned him the man of the match award in the match, cementing his place in India’s squad for T20s against Australia.
Rinku played the finisher’s role perfectly in the first T20 against Aussies. India were chasing 208 and Rinku’s 22 of 14 balls ensured India won the match with a ball to spare. Batting first in the next innings, Rinku handed a perfect end to India scoring an unbeaten 31 of 9 balls. The batter is yet to get out in a T20 international match.
Seeing his form with the willow, it is only rightful that the youngster is groomed for ODI cricket too. The BCCI has ensured the start of the process by picking him for the IND vs SA ODI series. The Southpaw would be hoping to end the year on the same note as it stated.
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