Rinku Singh has gone from manning the boundary ropes as a substitute fielder for the majority of his Indian Premier League career to becoming a household name by launching the ball beyond them.
His five consecutive sixes in the final over against Gujarat Titans, when Kolkata Knight Riders needed 28 runs to win off five balls, will be etched in gilded letters in cricketing folklore.
The ever-smiling Rinku had made a bold statement earlier in his life when he refused to mop the floor at a coaching centre to make ends meet for a family of seven. Rinku’s father, Khanchandra, who delivered LPG cylinders door-to-door, wasn’t supportive of his third son playing cricket and was only convinced when he won a bike for his ‘Man-of-the-Tournament’ performance at a local school competition.
After being retained by Kolkata for Rs. 55 lakh and cementing his position as specialist ‘finisher’, Rinku has all but ended his family’s ordeal.
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“I have seen Rinku evolve as an individual,” KKR assistant coach Abhishek Nayar was quoted as saying by media outlets earlier.
“The first time I saw him in the KKR setup and spent time with him when he came to Mumbai, he was a guy with very low self-belief,” Nayar recalled. “But one thing that has been a standout for Rinku is the fact that he has always had this ability to work hard, listen, and learn.”
Rinku’s pyrotechnics in last year’s IPL — he scored 474 in 14 innings at a strike-rate of 149.52 — did not go unnoticed, as he earned his maiden international callup when he was added to the India squad for the T20I series in Ireland.
Known for his ability to perform in the death overs, Rinku has become a middle-order enforcer in T20Is.
His notable innings include top-scoring with 46 against Australia and an unbeaten 68 against South Africa, despite the latter ending in a loss.
His dynamic performances highlight his impact on Indian cricket.
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