Rinku Singh once again lived up to his status as a potential match-winner for Team India as the KKR star helped his country begin their post-ODI World Cup campaign on a strong note. Rinku hammered an unbeaten knock of 22 runs off 14 balls as India successfully chased down a target of 209 runs against Australia in their first T20I, reaching 209/8 in 19.5 overs. His knock included four fours.
The 26-year-old tormented Australia with his death over batting skills, taking up a late anchor role during the run chase. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav also played a crucial knock of 80 runs off 42 balls. The MI player is captaining India in this series with senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being rested.
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Former India cricket Abhishek Nayar, who worked with Rinku on his death batting skills, lauded the player. Speaking on Jio Cinemas, he pointed out his composure and character during the run chase. "It takes a lot of character. We speak about someone, who has done it in the IPL and domestic cricket. Just to see Rinku hold his nerve and to have the composure shows that he has grown leaps and bounds," he said.
"It’s the third time he has done this for India, the third time India needed him to do something special and he turned up. He hasn’t played international cricket for 5-7 years, but has the maturity and skillet of someone who has played that long," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"It’s the third time he has done this for India, the third time India needed him to do something special and he turned up. He hasn’t played international cricket for 5-7 years, but has the maturity and skillet of someone who has played that long," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Nayar also made a staggering comparison which could further increase the expectations on Rinku. "It tells you that he has mastered the art of finishing an innings. It’s not easy and it’s been a while that Hardik and MS Dhoni did that for us, but post that, there’s no one, who has played the finisher’s role so well. It’s not just the runs he gets, but the way he gets them. There is a certain calm and composure about the way he’s playing his cricket," he said.
India lead 1-0 in the three-match series, and take on the Aussies in the second T20I on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram.