In recent months, few cricketers in India have captivated the public’s attention like Rinku Singh. He smashed five sixes in the last over to give the Kolkata Knight Riders an IPL victory they had no business even coming close to back in April.
He demonstrated during the season that he was more than just a one-trick pony or passing fad. He was able to score runs in a range of circumstances, handle a variety of scenarios with skill, and destroy most of his opponents.
In fact, if someone had told you he had only played 17 IPL games previous to the 2023 season, you would have laughed. Because of his conviction and the way in which he played his strokes, the fact that these displays occurred when he was playing the role of finisher, which is perhaps the most difficult job in white-ball cricket, demonstrates why he is a unique batsman.
In the current Twenty20 International series between Australia and India, all of that has merely resumed. Its significance may have diminished due to its proximity to the ODI World Cup final, which the Men in Blue narrowly lost to Australia in.
However, it is still true that the T20 World Cup, the upcoming ICC tournament, is just around six months away. If India hopes to finally win an ICC trophy in the West Indies or the USA next summer, its players must be prepared for the big stage.
Rinku Singh appears to be prepared. His capacity to grasp problems, stay in the present moment, and then figure out how to get out of those conditions is at the forefront of that evaluation. He has several gears in his game as a result of the domestic grind he has gone through, and if early evidence is exploited, he understands when to slide into which gear.
If there is a collapse, his remarkable first-class pedigree allows him to buckle down (his first-class average is 57.82, by the way). If quick runs are required, his stroke repertoire allows him to dominate from the start.
This is especially important because Hardik Pandya, who has frequently served as India’s designated finisher, is nursing another significant injury and has not had a terrific T20I season (188 runs at a strike rate of 110.58).
Despite pulling off an unbelievable robbery in the IPL final in May, Ravindra Jadeja has not played T20I cricket in almost a year. And, despite a number of encouraging recent outings, Axar Patel has unable to secure the finishing slot.
Shivam Dube, who was recruited in after a strong IPL season, also appears to be better suited to batting higher, but Jitesh Sharma has not enjoyed the run of India games that he would have liked.
Rinku Singh is thus the finisher on whom India appears to be betting.
Rinku Singh’s smooth transition to international cricket
Rinku Singh has played four T20Is for India and made an impact each time. He has given India the final push to win with his quick-fire knocks. His highest score is 38 off 21 balls against Ireland in Dublin, which helped India post 185 and win by 33 runs. He also smashed 37 off 15 balls against Nepal in the Asian Games quarter-final, taking India to a 200-plus total and a 23-run victory. In the first T20I against Australia, he held his nerve and scored 22* off 14 balls, guiding India to a thrilling one-run win. He could have hit a six off the last ball, but the bowler overstepped.
On Sunday, India’s top three all finished with fifties. Suryakumar’s departure in the 18th over, along with Gaikwad’s inability to find his range, meant that India were now looking at a total of approximately 215, which, on a genuine batting surface, would have kept Australia engaged.
Instead, Rinku Singh scorched 31 off of nine balls to lead India to 235, and even though Australia showed flashes of brilliance sometimes, that total always appeared unattainable. There is no doubting Rinku Singh’s influence, even if there were other reasons why India won these games.
All of these, apart from the obvious talent he has, comes down to his ability to concentrate on what is there in front of him, which, by the way, is not easy.
In life, many of us have probably experienced getting lost in nostalgia or imagining extraordinary futures, causing us to lose focus on the present.
Extending it to white-ball cricket, notably the death overs, any specialist finisher cannot repent for what transpired in previous overs, nor can he/she aim too high and crash and burn.
The day requires a cool and collected mind. A mentality that encourages you to just focus on what’s in front of you and be present. The following ball. The following task. Whatever the case may be.
Rinku Singh nails it, drawing on chats with a wonderful man who formerly donned the No. 7 jersey for India. That guy, well, he was a master at this – shutting out everything and focusing just on the current moment, while gazing the bowler in the eyes and daring him to make a mistake.
Rinku Singh, undeniably, has a long way to go before emulating MS Dhoni. The signs, though, are there. In whatever little cricket he has played for India, he has shown that he can soak up all the pressure, maintain equanimity, and do whatever the situation demands of him. That he can be this proper point-of-difference batter late in the middle order, and someone who can win India a game of cricket out of nowhere.
This might sound cliché, but as long as he is at the crease, there is now a feeling that the game is not over. Not many, at least in Indian cricket, have carried that aura. That alone should tell you all about Rinku Singh, and how far he has come.
Many would not have guessed he was India’s finisher a couple of years ago, when he was only appearing occasionally for KKR and his mountain of domestic runs remained unreported.
He is now most likely the finisher India requires.
And it’s all because of Rinku Singh. His brilliance, commitment, hard effort, and, of course, his poise.