Even though he hasn’t played for India in months, Rinku Singh doesn’t take long to make an impression in the last overs. Rinku largely warmed the bench during the T20 series in Australia after scoring the Asia Cup-winning four off the single ball he faced in the competition back in September. In the one game he played, he did not get the opportunity to bat.
Before making a spectacular comeback on Wednesday night with a game-winning 44 not out off 20 balls, that night in Brisbane on November 8 was his last appearance for India.
With 238/7 proving to be well out of reach for the Black Caps, his two sixes and fours off part-time Daryl Mitchell in the 20th over gave India a much-needed cushion in misty conditions.
It had been challenging to get Rinku into the playing eleven earlier, with Shubman Gill firmly at the top of the lineup. With Gill out of the lineup, the management can now give wicketkeeper Sanju Samson a longer run as an opener, giving Rinku and Hardik Pandya more space to finish in the lower order.
Rinku’s ability to get going right away, particularly against fast bowlers, is impressive.
After Rinku was named in the T20 World Cup squad, former India spinner R Ashwin said on his ‘YouTube’ channel: “We are all aware of Hardik’s exceptional finishing abilities. (Shivam) Dube is not a finisher, he is a spin enforcer. Now with Sanju Samson locked at the top of the order and with Ishan Kishan back as the wicket-keeper batter, what is left?”
“You need a finisher with Hardik in the death overs. Who can do it better than Rinku? Jitesh Sharma is a monster hitter against the spinners but against fast bowling and towards the end of the innings, Rinku has great numbers and pedigree and that is why they have gone back to Rinku Singh.”
His figures in overs 19–20 are astounding. Rinku has scored 213 runs off 74 balls in overs 19 and 20 with an incredible strike rate of 287.83 in the 36 Twenty20 matches he has participated in. In the crucial part of the game, he has hit 22 sixes.
More than 35 percent of his career runs have come in the final two overs of an innings, which is not surprising given his skill as a finisher.
Rinku was stoic as usual when he thought back on his high-pressure knock on Wednesday night.
“There was pressure on me as I was in and out of the team. The plan was to take singles, doubles and in between hit the boundary. Also to stay till the end and finish it off. That’s what I did,” stated the left-hander, who uses traditional strokeplay to finish the game in the final overs.
Rinku was unfazed by Arshdeep Singh’s three dot balls in the penultimate over. He was aware that he could cause harm in the last over.
In order to defend the T20 World Cup starting next month, India would require his unique finishing abilities and measured composure.
