For much of his career, especially since that heroic finishing act for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023, Rinku Singh has been typecast as a T20 specialist, a mere ‘finisher’. But on Wednesday, he flipped the script with a career-best knock in the Ranji Trophy, sending a strong and unmistakable message to the BCCI: he is far more than a T20 hitter, and he looks ready for Test cricket.
The Group A match between Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu ended in a draw on the fourth and final day in Coimbatore as the visitors secured three points for scoring 460 runs in the first innings, in reply to the home team's 455. Tamil Nadu got one point from the game. That slender five-run lead was down to Rinku's magnificent 247-ball 176, en route to which he found able assistance from the lower-order batters, including Shivam Mavi's 54.
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The India star clobbered 17 fours and six sixes during his stay in the middle. He was batting on 98 at stumps on the third evening, and completed his eighth career first-class ton the following morning.
{{/usCountry}}The India star clobbered 17 fours and six sixes during his stay in the middle. He was batting on 98 at stumps on the third evening, and completed his eighth career first-class ton the following morning.
{{/usCountry}}At a time when India’s Test batting is faltering against spin even at home, Rinku’s knock gains added significance, presenting the selectors with a compelling option to consider.
Rinku surpasses Dravid
With his career-best show in Coimbatore, Rinku boosted his first-class career average from 54.68 to 57.39, which is now the tenth best among Indian batters in history (minimum of 50 innings). En route, he overtook the legendary Rahul Dravid (55.33) and current India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (56.60), and stands just shy of Sachin Tendulkar's career average of 57.84.
Vijay Merchant still leads the chart with his career average of 71.64, while Sarfaraz Khan, placed third in the all-time list, has the best figure (65.98) among active Indian cricketers.
Rinku, meanwhile, is also the only other cricketer in the world, besides Afghanistan's Zia-ul-Haq (55.86), to have a first-class average more than 55 after at least 50 innings, without scoring a double century.