'Rinku Singh Should Have Played 100 T20Is For India By Now': Ex-New Zealand Star
Rinku Singh has played 36 T20Is for India, scoring 594 runs at an average of 45.69. His strike rate is 165.
Abhishek Sharma was the star for India in the first T20I against New Zealand on Wednesday. He duly impressed with the bat as India posted a big total of 238 for 7 and then restricted their opponents to 190 for 7 in Nagpur. Abhishek scored 84 off 35 balls with the help of five fours and eight sixes. India got off to a poor start as Sanju Samson fell for 10, while Ishan Kishan was dismissed for 8. Abhishek then joined hands with Suryakumar Yadav, stitching a 99-run partnership off 47 balls for the third wicket.
The hosts kept losing wickets at regular intervals after that big partnership, but Rinku Singh's 44 not out off 20 balls ensured India went past the 230-run mark.
Coming in to bat at number 7, Rinku kept the scoreboard ticking for India with his fine-tuned knock. He started slow, then paced his innings well and went berserk towards the end.
Former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull heaped praise on Rinku and said that the batter has not been fully utilized by India. He added that the southpaw should have played 100 T20Is by now.
"Rinku Singh is one of the best finishers in the game. We saw him burst onto the scene in the IPL four or five years ago, and I still feel he hasn't played enough T20 cricket for India since then. He should have featured far more and could easily have played 100 games by now," Doull told Star Sports.
Rinku made his India debut in 2023. He has played 36 T20Is and two ODIs so far. The batter has scored 594 runs at an average of 45.69 in the shortest format and 55 runs in the one-dayers for India.
The player failed to make the cut in India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad, but he has been included in the 15-member team picked for the upcoming edition.
"Rinku needs to be backed in that finishing role because he is exceptional at it. Despite his height, he is incredibly powerful, and his ability to get under the ball at the death makes him extremely difficult to bowl to," Doull added.
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