With the next big thing in cricketing extravaganza is set to take place in the Caribbean Islands and the United States of America in June 2024 with the likes of crickets exciting format T20I taking centerstage, there could be no other batter who could grab the centerstage of this tournament with his impeccable temperament and style to finish games with the bat below down the order in this format, Rinku Singh with his pyrotechnics and game awareness has been touted as India’s next finisher after the likes of MS Dhoni.
Following his achievements in the Indian Premier League 2023 , Rinku Singh who plays for Kolkata Knight riders grew to fame with insane feat of scoring 5 sixes in the ultimate over of a match off Yash Dayal snatching victory from the jaws of defeat from Gujarat Titans who till then were in drivers seat courtesy star international player Rashid Khan’s hattrick. These 30 runs changed Rinku’s career who then played some match changing knocks in entire season to rise in the eyeballs of selectors and donned Indian colors soon after.
On his first assignment to Ireland tour in white ball leg , Rinku Singh impressed one and all when he scored a quick 38 before being dismissed by the last ball of the innings in only his second match of the International career. Further on South African score Rinku Singh slammed his first fifty in the T20I format showing caution with aggression in the T2oI series which led to his debut in One day leg of the tour as well in absence of key players and played crucial role in the series win for India in ODI leg of the tour.
This rise in form from the youngster growing from strength to strength has raised words of praise from former Indian experts and cricketers.
Great opportunity for rising superstar Rinku Singh ahead of the T20 World Cup- Zaheer Khan on India’s T20I series against Afghanistan
Former Indian left arm pacer now expert Zaheer Khan believes that India’s upcoming three-match home T20I series will provide a clear picture of the think tank’s plans for the all-important 2024 T20 World Cup.
The series against Afghanistan will be India’s final T20 assignment ahead of the showpiece event. Zaheer expects Afghanistan to give the hosts a tough fight in the upcoming three matches.
During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Zaheer Khan said:
“It is going to be a very important series, from which we will get an idea of the direction in which India’s T20I team is going. It will be a great opportunity ahead of the T20 World Cup. You cannot take Afghanistan lightly in this format, and we have also seen a lot of upsets in T20 cricket. I am quite curious to see the kind of squad the selectors pick for the series.”
The T20I series opener between India and Afghanistan is set to be played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on January 11. It remains to be seen if senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will feature in the rubber or not.
“I look forward to seeing his career graph from here”-Zaheer Khan discusses about bright prospects in future for Rinku Singh.
In the same video, Zaheer Khan mentioned how Rinku Singh has taken giant strides in the early phase of his international career. He suggested that the southpaw will be the player to watch out for from the Indian camp in the series.
Speaking about Afghanistan’s squad, the former fast bowler picked ace spinner Rashid Khan as the visitors’ best bet against India. He added:
“For Afghanistan, definitely, Rashid Khan’s name is always at the top. However, it remains to be seen if he will be completely fit by then. If he is not there, Noor Ahmad could get a chance. Talking about India, Rinku Singh has shown a lot of promise, and I look forward to seeing his career graph from here.”
Rashid underwent back surgery last November. He had a decent 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, finishing with 11 wickets from nine outings. With such encouraging words from former Indian world cup winning bowler, Rinku Singh will certainly ooze in confidence much needed ahead of the Afghanistan tri series and replicate his stellar performances in IPL 2024 as well as the marquee event come June 2024.