Rinku Singh once again showed why he remains Uttar Pradesh’s most dependable middle-order presence in red-ball cricket, batting with patience and composure to score a century and rescue his side against Goa on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur.
Uttar Pradesh’s decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired. The hosts lost Abhishek Goswami cheaply, and although Madhav Kaushik looked assured in making 45, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. From 33 for 3, Uttar Pradesh slipped further as Goa’s bowlers maintained disciplined line and length, with off-spinner Yash Kasvankar emerging as the pick of the attack with five wickets.
The decision appeared even more questionable because, on the eve of the match, Uttar Pradesh’s batting coach and former captain Rahul Sapru had described the black soil surface as likely to assist the bowlers, particularly early in the game.
At 93 for 5, and later 104 for 6, Uttar Pradesh were in danger of being bowled out for a modest total. But Rinku, batting at No. 5, refused to be drawn into a counterattack. He combined solid defence with selective aggression, reaching his century off 155 balls with 10 fours and two sixes before finishing unbeaten on 118 from 186 deliveries, laced with 11 boundaries and two sixes.
His innings was more than a personal milestone. It was a masterclass in situation management. Rinku absorbed pressure when the ball was doing enough, rotated strike against a disciplined attack, and guided Uttar Pradesh to 202 in 71 overs. Without his 118, the total could have been embarrassingly short on a day when only Kaushik among the top order offered meaningful resistance.
{{/usCountry}}His innings was more than a personal milestone. It was a masterclass in situation management. Rinku absorbed pressure when the ball was doing enough, rotated strike against a disciplined attack, and guided Uttar Pradesh to 202 in 71 overs. Without his 118, the total could have been embarrassingly short on a day when only Kaushik among the top order offered meaningful resistance.
{{/usCountry}}Rinku is often judged through the lens of his T20 finishing ability, but his first-class record tells an equally compelling story. Before this knock, he had accumulated close to 4,000 first-class runs in 55 matches at an average near 60, with 11 centuries and 23 fifties.
This was also Rinku’s second consecutive century of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season. In Uttar Pradesh’s previous match against Bihar, he made an unbeaten 112 off 168 balls, helping his side post 540 and eventually secure a win by an innings and 267 runs.
His red-ball form has been building steadily. Last season, he struck a career-best 176 against Tamil Nadu, his highest first-class score, after earlier making an unbeaten 165 against Andhra Pradesh. Those innings underlined that Rinku’s reputation as a power-hitter has not come at the cost of technical solidity or stamina in four-day cricket.
His partnership with Kaushik was central to Uttar Pradesh’s recovery. Goa closed day one at 43/0 in 12 overs, trailing by 159 runs with all 10 wickets intact. Still, Uttar Pradesh will feel considerably better about their position than they would have at 104 for 6, largely because of Rinku Singh’s calm authority at the crease.
As a bowling unit, Goa were exceptionally economical, with all four bowlers conceding under 3.5 runs per over. Ruthvik Naik led the attack with 2 for 14, while Shubham Tari also bowled well to take one wicket. But off-spinner Yash Kasvankar was the main breakthrough threat, claiming five wickets in 25 overs at an economy of 3.44.