Rinku Singh did the star turn on Wednesday night when despite Kolkata Knight Riders’ two-wicket loss to Lucknow Super Giants, everyone was in awe of the 24-year-old southpaw for his valiant 15-ball 40.
His efforts, along with Sunil Narine’s 21 runs off 7 balls, brought KKR back in the game when the total looked too steep to climb at one stage. Requiring 21 runs in the last over, Rinku almost brought KKR back in the game and in the reckoning for the playoff by scoring 18 runs off the first four deliveries. However, consecutive wickets of the remaining balls by Marcus Stoinis dashed those hopes.
KKR batter Rinku Singh bats against LSG during match 66 of IPL 2022 in Mumbai on Wednesday. Sportzpics
Rinku remained the talk of the town as his was a true underdog story that the masses could relate to. After all, the young UP cricketer had to sit in the dugout for five years — excluding few sporadic and unsuccessful outings — before he forged his place in the playing XI. With 174 runs in seven games, the left-handed batter finished the IPL season last night at an average of 34.80 while striking at 148.72.
Rinku recalled the tough times he went through during the last five seasons where opportunities weren’t there for the taking and all he could do was wait.
“Those 5 years were really tough for me. After the first year, when I was picked for KKR and I got a chance to play, I couldn’t perform well. Still, KKR trusted me a lot and they retained me for the next couple of seasons,” said Rinku in a video uploaded on KKR’s official Facebook page on Wednesday.
Last season Rinku suffered a knee injury during Vijay Hazare trophy that forced him out of action, including IPL, for six months. The period took him to new lows but Rinku said he always had self belief in his abilities that helped him get through.
“I trained hard the way my body language is. The team never thought I was down. Last year was quite tough for me as I got a knee injury during the Vijay Hazare Trophy while running a double. The moment I fell, I thought of the IPL. They told me I needed an operation and would require 6-7 months to recover,” he said.
“I wasn’t happy staying away from cricket for so long. My father didn’t eat for 2-3 days. I told him it’s just an injury and it’s part of cricket. I’m the sole breadwinner of my life and when such things happen, it is bound to be worrisome.
“I was a bit sad, but I knew I would recover quickly as I had a lot of self-belief.”
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