'Feel I am well prepared for Asia Cup': Rinku Singh on tournament readiness

On Thursday, Rinku hammered his maiden T20 century — an unbeaten 108 off just 48 balls (7x4, 8x6) as the Meerut Mavericks beat Gaur Gorakhpur Lions in a UPT20 League match at the Ekana Stadium here. “My preparations for the Asia Cup are going very well. I have played a lot of practice matches for my franchise [Meerut Mavericks] in Noida and now this century in the UPT20 has built a lot of confidence in me. I feel I am well prepared for the Asia Cup,” a smiling Rinku said after his match-winning effort.

Interestingly, Rinku contributed to his team’s cause batting at No. 5 and No. 6 rather than coming later (at No. 7 or 8) for Team India, where he is considered a finisher. Now, having been selected as one of the specialist batters for the Asia Cup, Rinku believes No. 5 is the ideal position, where he can give his best for the national team too. 

A day before the game Rinku had said that he does not consider himself a pure finisher and insisted that can bat anywhere in the line-up: “First of all, let me make it clear to everyone that I’m not a finisher; I can play anywhere and have done so before. The 2023 IPL [for Kolkata Knight Riders] was the best phase of my career, and in that season, I batted at No. 5. I scored a lot of runs for the team at that number. Even for India, I have scored three fifties while batting at No. 5 [two at No. 5 and one at No. 6]. I can bat anywhere they [team management] ask me to. I am flexible and I have no inhibitions of batting anywhere in the order.”

Rinku’s first big show

Rinku Singh came into limelight when he hit five consecutive sixes off Yash Dayal in an IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans on April 9, 2023 at Eden Gardens. Needing 29 runs to win off the last over, Rinku Singh smashed the ball over the boundary five times to guide KKR to a memorable victory. 

He, thereafter, was considered more of a finisher and sent to bat lower down the order, which hindered his growth as a batter. Of the 33 T20I matches he has played for India, he has not got to bat in nine games, and remained not out nine times without doing much in most of those innings. 

That works out to over 50 per cent of matches where he has not got the scope to prove his mettle. He has, nevertheless, scored three half-centuries, and totalled 546 runs in 33 T20Is at a healthy average of 42.00 and at an impressive strike rate of 161.06. This just goes to show his utility and ability if given an opportunity to bat higher up the order.