IRE vs IND: Rinku Singh is tailor-made for the finisher role in the Indian team, says Abhishek Nayar
Abhishek Nayar has said that Rinku Singh is tailor-made for the finisher role for the Indian team coming in at the No.6 spot for the side.
Playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rinku demonstrated exceptional skills as a finisher, earning him high praise and recognition.
In the IPL 2023 season, Rinku played all 14 games for KKR, batting in each inning. He amassed a total of 474 runs at an impressive average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.52. His performance included hitting 29 sixes.
Rinku’s performance was so outstanding that he was picked by Kevin Pietersen as the best finisher of IPL 2023. Even Andre Russell, a renowned finisher himself, passed on the finisher’s baton to Rinku, demonstrating his faith in the youngster’s abilities.
This rewarded him with a place in the squad for the Ireland series and he was handed his debut in the first T20I. The left-handed batter didn’t get a chance to bat as rain intervened and India won the match by two runs via the DLS method.
Speaking on JioCinema, during the first T20I, Nayar, who worked with Rinku in KKR, said that the 25-year-old is fit to play the role.
“I think he is, you know, with Hardik Pandya now transforming into a proper batter who bats up the order, and when he comes back and he is leading the side, you know you want someone who’s going to play that role.”
“You know, we saw that in the West Indies as well, where literally have someone come in and play shots from the get-go. You had Axar Patel, who tried to play that role. But I feel Rinku is tailor-made. If you look at his numbers and you look at his stats around all three formats in domestic cricket, he’s been someone who’s been a prolific run-getter.”
“I think IPL being the last stage where you had to kind of prove and perform, which he has done as well,” said Nayar.
Nayar said that Rinku has all the making of being a finisher and it is all about grooming him and giving him the opportunities.
“But I also believe I said that before, as well as a number six batter in a T20 format, you need to give someone enough time to acclimatise and understand his role, although we expect them to come out and keep hitting. It’s not about those 5-6 innings of being consistent. It’s about playing those one or two really impactful innings because that is what you expect from a finisher and for I think he’s got all the makings of being that player.”
“I think it’s just about grooming and constantly giving in those opportunities, like you have to a Ruturaj Gaikwad, to a Sanju Samson, to a Tilak Varma to Mukesh Kumar. I feel we need to give those opportunities to Rinku Singh as well, because you don’t have a number six finisher only wanting to do that job. I think the last person who was tagged as a finisher was Dinesh Karthik. Post him, there’s been no one who’s played that role. Hardik Pandya did that terrifically well. But now he’s evolved into a player who can go slightly up the order, take his time and then be devastating,” said Nayar.
Nayar also revealed that Rinku is a great presence to have in the dressing room as he keeps the mood light and feels that the 25-year-old is some one the team and the selectors should invest in.
“So you know, that is why I feel the outlook towards Rinku Singh has to be, you know, streamlined and said that this is who we are looking to groom like you are now with Tilak Varma at number three, number four. You look at Rinku Singh and say number six if you want someone to come and do it, He’s our guy. Because he can save runs in the field. He’s terrific with the bat, and he is unbelievable in the dressing room, I promise you. Barring what he does outside, the vibe he has in the dressing room and the positivity creates is something that you don’t really understand and know.”
“But if you’re in the dugout and if in the dressing room having Rinku Singh means there’s always a laugh around and there’s always happiness. So I feel it is someone that the Indian team should invest in, the selector should invest in and should be patient.”
