Rinku Singh scored 22 off 14 balls as India defeated Australia in a last-over thriller in Vizag on Thursday, November 3. The southpaw has created a reputation for himself in the IPL by closing games for his club. He was able to bring the same to the Men in Blue’s table.
Rinku Singh has received a lot of plaudits for his ability to remain calm under pressure, even while wickets were tumbling at the other end. The southpaw said that he just followed the counsel of former Indian star MS Dhoni.
Rinku Singh had this to say about MS Dhoni after the game in a video uploaded by the BCCI:
“I had once asked Mahi Bhai, ‘What is your mindset while batting in the last over?’ He said, ‘Try to remain as calm as possible and try to hit as straight as possible.’ I just follow that and it has helped me a lot.”
Rinku Singh
Rinku was also unaware that the six he hit on the penultimate ball was not recorded because the bowler overstepped. He said:
“I didn’t know that I was a no ball (laughs). Arshdeep told me later in the dressing room and that the runs won’t count. It’s okay the important part was to win the game.”
Rinku Singh
Trusted myself to win the game in the final over: Rinku Singh
While skipper Suryakumar Yadav was at the crease, Rinku Singh played second fiddle. However, once SKY was fired, Rinku took it upon himself to guarantee that he stayed to the end and completed the game.
In response, he stated:
“It is great that we won the game. When I had walked out to bat it was a perfect situation for me as it is something I have being doing for a while now. Felt really good batting with Surya Bhaiya. I tried to remain as calm as possible and trusted myself to take the game in the final over and win it.”
Rinku Singh
With the T20 World Cup set to take place in June 2024, Rinku might be an important member of the Indian team.