Rinku Singh Opens Up On 'Gautam Gambhir Influence' After Asia Cup 2025 Selection
Rinku Singh enjoys the backing of India head coach Gautam Gambhir, having worked with him at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in te IPL too.
- Rinku Singh was selected for India's Asia Cup 2025 squad over Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Gautam Gambhir, who has worked with Rinku since their KKR days, might have had a role to play in his selection
- Rinku admitted that he has always enjoyed significant backing from Gambhir: "He always supported me"
Rinku Singh wasn't a certain pick in the Indian team for the Asia Cup 2025, at least as far as the pre-announcement reports are concerned. However, the lower-order batter got the nod in the 15-member squad ahead of the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Though Iyer and Jaiswal play different roles in T20 cricket, Rinku's selection ahead of the duo left many baffled. At the end of the day, it seems like the selectors and the team management had a lot of faith in his ability as a finisher, to give him a call-up for the Asia Cup.
While there's no denying the ability Rinku has, he himself claimed that head coach Gautam Gambhir is someone who has backed him since the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) days.
"GG sir (Gautam Gambhir) has always backed me and supported me a lot. When I first met him at KKR, he gave me so much confidence. I had a brief session with him where he spoke to me about pull shots. He always backs his players, and that feels really good. He'll come, talk to you, and inject confidence. He's a man with a lot of knowledge. I've enjoyed working with him-whether it's batting, talking, or training. It's always fun to share things with him. I'm really eager to play under his coaching again. It's a special feeling to share the dressing room with a legend like GG sir," Rinku said in a chat with the Times of India.
When asked if there's been a conversation between him and Gambhir over his Asia Cup selection, Rink said that no such talks have taken place yet.
"Not yet. Once I go to Dubai, I'll have a big conversation with him (laughs). Till now, we haven't spoken about anything. I'm just very excited to meet him and learn from him. His support in my career has been immense," the finisher said.
As far as statistics are concerned, Rinku has played a total of 33 T20Is for India, where he has scored 546 runs. In those matches, he has averaged 42.00 and also has an impressive strike rate of over 160.
India Cricket Team
Kolkata Knight Riders
Gautam Gambhir