Lucknow: Sixty seven runs in last seven T20 games, not even a single fifty in his last 28 IPL matches after making his India debut in 2023 – sums up the recent batting form of one of India’s most promising batting talents Rinku Singh, who wasn’t sure to be picked in the Team India for the Asia Cup this week.
But as the saying goes that fortunes favour the brave, his batting style, especially in the last five overs in the shortest format of the game, fetched him a place in the side for the event, starting September 9 at UAE.
Many criticised Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel for Rinku’s selection, but the left-hand batter proved his critics wrong with a superb unbeaten century in the UPTwenty20 League here late on Thursday night.
Things looked very difficult as when Rinku walked in to bat as his side Meerut Mavericks was tottering at 31/3 within the powerplay before losing the next wicket at 38 on the last ball of the eighth over while chasing 168, allowing Dhruv Jurel-led Gorakhpur Lions feel confident of winning then.
But then Rinku did his magic, smashing an unbeaten 48-ball 108 with the help of seven fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of 225, leaving everyone surprised at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium. His unbeaten 130-run fifth wicket stand with Sahib Yuvraj Singh (22, 22b, 1×4) propelled the side home with seven balls to spare.
“Yes, I wasn’t sure about my selection as many things were going on in my mind before the selection. I was a little worried about my chances. Other people had also done well in the IPL. So, I was a little worried. I wasn’t sure if I would get a name or not, but the selectors gave me confidence and now I have to rely on that confidence.”
On his showing with willow on Thursday night, Rinku said that he wanted to win the match for his side at all cost. “I just wanted to win the game for my side.There was a lot of pressure in the middle because we had already lost four wickets. My mindset was that I will take the game to the end and win the match and that’s what happened as I took the game to the end,” he added.
Rinku was happy to get enough time to bat in a T20 game as he normally gets 4-5 overs in the end, but here on Thursday night he had almost 13 overs to make use of the opportunity. “When I get time, I take some time and play. I take 5-6 balls to settle and then I play according to the situation. I decide how I want to play.”
He, however, said that missing the World Cup was there in his mind and he wanted to be in the Team India again. “Yes, I missed the T20 World Cup last year and I wanted a chance to stage a comeback in the side. This time, the selectors gave me a chance and I will try my best to live up to the expectations,” he added.
Certainly, it was one of the best knocks of Rinku’s career and it left even his teams’ coach Utkarsh Chandra surprised. “He is such a kind of batter who can change the complexion of the game at any moment, especially while chasing. Even in the last season, Rinku played a few such innings and helped the side emerge champions for the first time. Last night, Rinku surprised us with his batting,” said Chandra, a former Ranji Trophy bowler.
In fact, Rinku, who burst onto the scene with a brilliant 474-run in 2023 IPL season for the Kolkata Knight Riders, and his early outings in T20Is only reinforced the belief that a long, bright career awaited him in national colours from day one of his cricketing career.
Despite having a series of match-winning performances after his debut for India, Rinku was named only as a travelling reserve for the 2024 T20 World Cup. It was disappointing but the belief was there that his moment would eventually come.
Rinku’s T20I career so far has seen many ups and downs as in 2024, his numbers were nothing short of phenomenal, 479 runs from 19 innings at an average of 59.87 and a staggering strike-rate of 175.45, with three fifties to his name. At that point, he looked unstoppable, India’s next great T20 finisher in the making.
But thereafter, Rinku has struggled to rediscover his rhythm, and the slump has been glaring. In India’s last two bilateral T20I series against South Africa and England, he endured a nightmare. Across seven games, he could manage just 67 runs at 13.40, with his strike-rate plummeting to an underwhelming 101.51. The South Africa tour was especially painful to watch as Rinku scraped together only 28 runs at an average of 9.33, striking at 82.35.
Apart from international cricket, Rinku hasn’t really found his magic in the IPL either as in 2024 season of the league, he could score just 168 runs at an average of 18.66. Though he scored 206 runs from 11 innings at a strike-rate of 153.73 in IPL 2025, the numbers reflect that Rinku did do a decent job while considering his batting position.
The left-hander has already scored 546 runs in 24 T20I innings at an impressive average of 42.00 and a blistering strike rate of 161.06 and has consistently made a big impact despite batting lower down the order, often with just a few balls left in the innings. Besides his famous feat of hitting five sixes in one IPL over, Rinku has already registered several remarkable records for India in T20Is.
In the third T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru in January 2024, India struggled at 22/4 before Rinku joined Rohit Sharma. They stitched an unbeaten 190-run stand off 95 balls for the fifth wicket, the highest-ever fifth-wicket partnership in T20I history. Rohit scored 121* (69), while Rinku impressed with an aggressive 69 (39) at a strike rate of 176.92, showcasing maturity well beyond his years.