Aakash Chopra pointed out the importance of Rinku Singh’s strong show in the T20I games. This is for the India vs Australia series. It’s crucial viewing for the T20 World Cup next year.
The Men in Blue triumphed over the Aussie squad by a narrow margin of six runs during the last T20I match in Bengaluru this past Sunday, wrapping up the five-game series with a score of 4-1. Despite Rinku’s dismissal at a low score during the final game, his performance in the series overall was impressive. He accumulated 105 runs, boasting an admirable average of 52.50. With his four strikes in the series, he achieved an impressive strike rate of 175.00.
Aakash Chopra reacted on some of the series’ standout performances in a video posted on his YouTube page. He feels Rinku’s performances will benefit both him and India, explaining:
“This was an important series for Rinku Singh because he is your only batter who bats at this number. He is doing so now and will do it for the Kolkata Knight Riders as well. He plays at No. 5 and sometimes at No. 6 wherever he plays. These numbers (No. 5 and No. 6) are very important. So it was important for him to do well.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener added:
“This series was extremely important for him and India from the T20 World Cup perspective – somebody who can bat at No. 5 or No. 6, and he is a left-hander as well. You will find that you have a lot of left-handers in your team currently but as soon as the World Cup comes, you will say you don’t have a left-hander.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra stated that if their veteran players return for the T20 World Cup, the Men in Blue will be on the hunt for left-handers. He went on to say:
“Rohit (Sharma) and (Virat) Kohli will come, Shreyas (Iyer) and Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) are there, I don’t know (KL) Rahul maybe, Hardik (Pandya) – they are all right-handers, so who is a left-hander? So Rinku Singh was very important for me and this series was very good for him.”
Aakash Chopra
Rinku Singh might battle with Tilak Varma for a spot in India’s T20 World Cup team as a left-handed middle-order batsman. His achievements in the T20I series against Australia have given him an advantage over the Mumbai Indians’ southpaw in the race for that position.
“His mindset, the way he plays, and the temperament he shows” – Aakash Chopra on Rinku Singh Positive Traits
While seeing Rinku Singh’s aggressive shot in the last T20I, Aakash Chopra lauded the kid for the qualities he brings to the table. He explained:
“His mindset, the way he plays, and the temperament he shows – we can ignore the last match, where according to me, he played a bad shot to get out. It wasn’t the right time to try that shot. He just went a little too soon. He should have taken the game slightly deeper.”
Aakash Chopra
In the 10th over of India’s innings, Rinku holed out to long-on off Tanveer Sangha’s bowling for an eight-ball six. His removal cut the hosts’ lead to 55/4 before Shreyas Iyer’s 53-run knock and vital partnerships with Jitesh Sharma (24) and Axar Patel (31) lifted them to a respectable total.
