As the last Uttar Pradesh pair of Aaqib Khan and Kunal Tyagi secured the all-important first innings lead on Day 4 of their Ranji Trophy fixture against Tamil Nadu, Rinku Singh finally let all his emotions out. Having arrived at the crease at the fall of third wicket at 149, he had seen UP move to 191/5 with only the lower order for company and his side still 264 runs behind TN’s total of 455.
When he walked back to the dressing room after making a career-best 176 off 247 balls (17×4, 6×6) as the ninth wicket, UP were still trailing by 12 runs. He removed his gear and stood outside, willing each run that was there for the taking: “Push..push..do aajayaga…” he would scream.
He wasn’t wrong; when the last pair put pressure on the TN fielders, they even stole a run out of nowhere.
This is what Rinku does. He reads the game as well as anyone. This is why a franchise like Kolkata Knight Riders entrusts him with the finisher’s job even if it limits the number of deliveries he faces. It is what he does with India as well, in the limited opportunities he gets. But beyond all of it, he never complains. He ensures the job is done. He talks less.
In an era where player promotions in the form of fan pages and content management rules Indian cricket, Rinku doesn’t indulge in any of it. He hardly opens up to the media. Not even a career-best score in first-class cricket could convince him to speak. He would just fold his hands in the most apologetic manner and refuse.
With the bat in hand, he is totally different. He puts his head down and is ruthless when it comes to doing what has to be done. While he did became on household name after hitting Yash Dayal for five sixes in that famous last over in the IPL, what always goes under the radar is that he is an equally effective batsman in first-class cricket with an average of 59.30.
Versatile player
As well as he can hit those destructive blows, he can also maneuvre the field, and grind the bowlers down by defending solidly. Ask the TN bowlers, they tried to breach his defence for 246 deliveries before he top-edged one off left-arm spinner P Vidyuth.
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Chasing a big first innings total even in batting-friendly conditions with just the lower order for company is no easy job. Here for the sixth wicket, Rinku stitched a 104-run stand with Shivam Mavi and followed it with 53, 59 and 36-run efforts. Needless to say, he was the dominant partner in each of those stands, as he knew when to give his partner the strike and when to shield them. With R Sai Kishore and Vidyuth being the threatening bowlers, Rinku faced 117 deliveries off them, scoring 79 runs. He gave them the respect they deserved, but at the same time ensured he dictated proceedings against the duo.
On Wednesday morning, Kartik Yadav fell as the eighth wicket when UP were still 48 behind. It was the moment Rinku chose to improvise and be explosive. The ramps over slip came into play, and seamer Sonu Yadav was hit for a couple of sixes. It wasn’t chaos, but a calculated approach. All of this happened with national selector Pragyan Ojha in attendance.
A versatile batsman, Rinku has seldom shown signs of struggle in the middle for India. Apart from 35 T20Is, he has just two ODIs to show as his name doesn’t even find mention in the A teams. After scoring the winning runs against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final, he scored an unbeaten 165 against Andhra in the Ranji Trophy before travelling Down Under with India where he played one game but didn’t get an opportunity due to the washout in Brisbane. He came back and played a career-best knock. He doesn’t know where he is headed next. But wherever he goes, trust him to deliver.
Brief scores: Tamil Nadu 455 & 103/2 drew with Uttar Pradesh 460 (Rinku Singh 176; P Vidyuth 4/73, R Sai Kishore 3/99).
