Demolishing the South African bowling attack in the 2nd T20I of the three-match series on Tuesday, power-hitter Rinku Singh played another stellar knock to strengthen his selection case for the ICC World T20. With India entering the T20 World Cup cycle after hosting the 50-over spectacle at home, the focus is on Indian youngsters who are auditioning for a place in the star-studded squad.
Though Rinku played a brilliant knock, his heroics failed to inspire Team India as the Proteas defeated the visitors by 5 wickets in the rain-marred 2nd T20I at St George’s Stadium. Acing the role of a finisher in the shortest format, Rinku top-scored for Suryakumar Yadav’s Team India in the penultimate clash of the South Africa T20I series. Interestingly, Rinku’s six-hitting exploits proved too costly for the hosts as the India batter cracked open the media box glass during the rain-curtailed encounter in Gqeberha.
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Rinku’s three-word apology for brutal six
In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after the match, Rinku issued a sweet apology for doing the maximum damage in Gqeberha. “When I hit that shot I didn’t know the glass had broken, it was only afterwards that I was told the same. Uske liye sorry,” Rinku said.
Rinku remained unbeaten on 68 off 39 balls as India posted 180-7 in 19.3 overs. Batting at a strike rate of 174.36, Rinku smoked two sixes and fired nine boundaries in his entertaining knock against the Proteas. Besides Rinku, India skipper Sutryakumar also notched up a quick-fire half-century. In the same match, Suryakumar crossed the 2000-run mark and the India skipper also matched Virat Kohli’s record.
‘Surya bhai was telling me…’
“When I went in to bat, it was a tough situation as three of our wickets had fallen. Surya bhai was telling me, ‘Play the way you have so far. Take your time.’ He (Surya) asked me to keep believing in myself. He calmed me when I wasn’t able to middle the ball in the beginning. And I did just that. It was tough to read the wicket at first but as I played a few deliveries it all started coming together well,” Rinku added.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
