Rinku Singh: Another poster boy emerges from the hinterlands

Apart from the odd occasion, for year after year, game after game since 2018, he would dash on to the field of play with a change of gloves, a drink or two. From time to time, he would be called on to act as a substitute fielder, immediately catching the eye with his energy and his agility across the turf. He did all this with a broad smile, effectively masking the hurt he must have been experiencing at being repeatedly overlooked.

Bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the 2018 auction for Rs 80 lakh, Rinku Singh appeared doomed to experience a journeyman career in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In his first three seasons with the Kolkata franchise, the left-hander from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh played only ten games, 77 runs and a highest score of 30 hardly indicative of the immense potential that rested in his somewhat stocky frame.

How IPL 2023 turned Rinku's life upside down

Refusing to allow the IPL disappointments to hold him back, Rinku immersed himself in hard work, leaving no stone unturned in his bid to constantly improve his skills. A knee injury ruled him out of IPL 2021; Rinku still performed admirably for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket – he averages 57.82 in first-class cricket, 49.83 in domestic 50-over games and 34.88 in T20s – but in today’s India, unless one delivers in the IPL, he will not storm into the consciousness of the cricket-following populace.

Rinku’s chance to shine came in IPL 2022, with KKR in the middle of a woeful run. As the defeats piled up, the think-tank turned to Rinku and he responded admirably, with 174 runs in seven outings at an average of 34.80 and a strike-rate of 148.71. As it turned out, it was only the beginning.

A breakout IPL 2023 season turned Rinku’s life upside down, this time for the better. Very early in the season, he fired the imagination of the fans with a most improbable cameo that made him a household name. What he couldn’t achieve through 3,000 first-class runs, he accomplished in the space of five deliveries.

5 sixes in a row to seal win

KKR needed 28 for victory off the last five balls of their clash against defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT). Without warning, Rinku exploded, smashing the hapless left-arm pace of Yash Dayal for five towering sixes. What’s the fuss, he seemed to ask, as he calmly delivered the sucker punches before sinking into the grateful embrace of his more celebrated teammates.

Rinku has come a long way from that jaw-dropping night. Fourteen games last season netted him 474 magnificent runs, his strike-rate of 149.52 meaning he could no longer be overlooked when it came to picking the Indian team, or at least the ‘second’ team that travelled to Ireland in August this year.

In his maiden hit in international cricket, the 26-year-old smashed 38 off 21 deliveries, two fours, three sixes. He has subsequently produced scores of 37* (15 balls), 22* (14b), 31* (9b) and 46 (29b) for the country. After nine matches and five innings, he averages 87; more tellingly, he scores at 197.72 runs per 100 balls faced, extraordinary numbers considering that he bats at No. 5 or 6 and is almost always required to tee off from the get-go.

Russell's high praise

Andre Russell, the West Indian powerhouse, knows a thing or two about hitting sixes. The other day, the Jamaican said he switched on the TV whenever Rinku came out to bat. It’s unlikely that higher praise will come Rinku’s way as he embarks on the journey to make the finisher’s role his own even when the big boys return to duty.

Rinku’s rich vein of form is one of the reasons Suryakumar Yadav’s men hold a winning 3-1 lead against Australia going into Sunday’s (December 3) final Twenty20 International in Bengaluru. Rinku’s 99 runs this series, off 52 deliveries, include 12 fours and four sixes. That speaks to the unique ability to find the boundaries from the very first ball, a quality that comes only to very few, and certainly not to those as inexperienced at the international level as Rinku is.

Not allowing the grass to grow under his feet during the rare breaks from the game, Rinku has sought out the master finisher, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for advice on how to handle the high-pressure role and come away the better for the experience. Like Dhoni – no batting comparisons here – he exudes calmness and immense belief, looking the bowler in the eye and refusing to blink first.

Not just brute power

Using a firm, steady, strong base as his launch pad, Rinku can alternate between the orthodox and the unconventional in the bat of an eyelid. Because he sees the ball and then reacts, he is seldom out of position, which is often a fallout of premeditating and moving around in the crease. He isn’t just brute power; extremely innovative and quick to size up the fields, Rinku believes in sticking to his strengths. While he might pick brains, he is content with being Rinku 1.0, assiduously resisting the temptation of falling into the trap of batting like someone else.

Unless things go drastically wrong in the next five or so months, Rinku should be among the first names to be pencilled in when the national selectors sit to pick the 15 for the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean next June. A livewire on the park where he eats up ground like a fox terrier, Rinku’s left-handedness at the death is an immeasurable bonus. There is a growing clamour for him to bat higher up the order. There is no doubt Rinku will be a hit at No. 3 or No. 4, but while there are accomplished willow-wielders who can make an impression at that position, no one else can reprise the Rinku heroics at the death, with only 20 balls or so remaining in an innings.

Rinku has emerged as the poster boy for those from the hinterlands, his affable persona, beaming smile and humility touching a chord in everyone who has interacted with him, and millions of those who haven’t. He will remain the boy next door because that’s how he has been, that’s what has brought him where he is today. It might seem outlandish to talk up someone who has been in international cricket for less than four months, but this Rinku, he really is something special. Ignore him at your own peril.