The entire cricketing world is going ga-ga over what Kolkat Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh was able to pull off against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match on Sunday. To hit 5 consecutive sixes is no mean feat, let alone doing so in a chase while needing 28 runs from those 5 balls. As the cricketing fraternity doffed its hat to Rinku Singh, former India cricketer Rohan Gavasked earned flak on social media for his on-air comments on the bowler Yash Dayal.
The Jr. Gavaskar, who was on commentary during the match, called out the Gujarat pacer Yash for his 'rubbish' bowling. Gavaskar took the focus away from Rinku and what he was able to do with the bat on Sunday and implied that it was the pacer's poor bowling that enabled the KKR batter to pull off such a heist.
"This is why I say it's a bowler's game. He has bowled absolute rubbish over there, but we've been talking about Rinku Singh and how good he has been batting. Yesterday we were saying that if a batter goes at about a run-a-ball or at a strike-rate of 120, you are criticising him. A bowler goes for 31 and you say it's Rinku Singh - he takes the plaudits. And that is why I keep saying this is a bowler's game," he said.
Unimpressed with Rohan's comments, fans lambasted him on social media. Here are a few reactions:
At the end of the match, KKR skipper Nitish Rana admitted that it was 'one in a 100' chance that saw his team end on the winning side.
"We had a little belief. Rinku did something like this last year, although we didn't win that match. When the second six was struck, we started believing more because Yash Dayal wasn't executing that well. As a captain, it's important to have the belief. But this is a 1 in a 100 chance for something like this to happen," he said.
"Credit goes to Rinku Singh. The two points we have from this game are thanks to him. People asked me why Rinku Singh doesn't get a bigger role, and always plays a small role. I want to say to those reporters if this is the second role, imagine what he can do with the first role. Last match he played a different role, and he did it well. To be honest, if I was batting and needed 30 off one over, the thought of having the belief would be there, but in your heart you know what you're capable of. I don't have words for him," he added.