“Finisher” Rinku Singh trended big time on Twitter, now X, after the Team India left-hander produced a blistering unbeaten 69-run knock off 39 balls against Afghanistan in the third T20I in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/rinkusinghsrk/status/1747640846198161514
Rinku Singh's batting heroics came after the Men in Blue found themselves in deep trouble at 22/4 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, having lost Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson inside the first five overs.
One must not forget that Virat Kohli and Sanju Samson perished without troubling the scorers with the former getting out for his maiden golden duck in T20Is. Afghanistan's left-arm pacer Fareed Ahmad was right on the money from the word go.
As Rohit Sharma and his boys had their backs to the wall, the Nagpur-born cricketer combined with Rinku Singh to take India to 212/4 in their allocated 20 overs.
While Rohit Sharma struck an unbeaten 121 off 69 deliveries, featuring 11 fours and 8 sixes, Rinku Singh remained not out on 69.
Rinku Singh's 69 included six maximums and two boundaries as the Uttar Pradesh batter went on a rampage during the fag-end of the Indian essay.
Rinku Singh is being widely tipped to take over the role of the legendary MS Dhoni, who played the role of a finisher for Team India to near perfection before his retirement in 2020.
With India looking to break their 13-year drought in World Cups, Rinku Singh has emerged as a vital cog in captain Rohit Sharma's scheme of things, especially in T20Is.
In 15 matches in the format for India, Rinku Singh has amassed impressive numbers. He has made 356 runs in those games at a stunning average of 89 and an explosive strike rate of 176.23, making Rinku Singh a front-line choice for a lower middle-order role in India's batting line-up in T20Is.
On the other hand, India captain Rohit Sharma struck a record-breaking hundred in the third T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru.
With his three-figure score against the Central Asian side, Rohit Sharma became the first man to smash five centuries in T20Is.
In the process, Rohit Sharma went past Australia's Glenn Maxwell and his India teammate Suryakumar Yadav, who have four tons each to their names in T20Is.
In addition, Rohit Sharma replaced Virat Kohli from the top of the list of Indian skippers who have scored the most runs in T20Is.
During his reign as skipper of India's T20 side, Virat Kohli accumulated 1570 runs – a tally overtaken by Rohit Sharma against Afghanistan on Wednesday.
It is worth mentioning that Rohit Sharma had a contrasting series with the bat against Afghanistan. He lost his wicket for zero in Mohali and Indore but came out with a blazing hundred in the last fixture in Bengaluru.
In the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit Sharma praised Rinku Singh, who played a key role in India's victory with his brisk half-century.
“Creating a partnership was important, kept talking with Rinku to not lose intent. We may find ourselves in such situations in big games where we'd be 30 for 4. It was a good situation to be in with the pressure, was important to bat long, bat deep but not compromise on the intent we wanted to show,” Rohit Sharma said.
“In the last couple of series he's played, Rinku can show what he can do. Fearless, keeps himself calm, is very clear about his game plan and knows his strengths very well. He's coming of age, creates an impression every time he gets an opportunity,” he added.
“In the last 10 innings for India, he's done very well. We've wanted someone who can bat in the back end with a clear mindset. You saw how he's done well in the IPL, he's carried that forward here,” the India captain pointed out.
India head coach Rahul Dravid described the match in Bengaluru as a great game of cricket. After all, rarely T20Is have required two Super Overs to decide a winner.
“Great game of cricket, fantastic game. Went on and on and on. Incredible batting on display. Rohit and Rinku from our side, some of the hitting from their side also, truly T20 hitting at its absolute best. Great for Bishnoi to be able to land two deliveries perfectly to eight us those two wickets. Our bowling attack was young, just for them to experience this is a great thing for them,” Rahul Dravid told Sports 18.
“Honestly I think Rohit was brilliant today, showed what a class player he can be. The talk was always to be positive. You know you need a big score, in the end that level of hitting, with Rohit the range he has – was superb. Good to have him back, his presence in the dressing room is great. Both Virat and him add a lot to this group. We've been chatting with a lot of our players about opening up squarer part of the wickets, using sweeps and reverse sweep, great to see Rohit leading from the front,” he elaborated.
“Terrific from Rinku, for someone just starting out, it's been a few months, the maturity and calmness, we've seen him come in the back end and finish games off, to come in and build a partnership and show in the back end was great to see. He's very clear about his skills, what his strengths are, what he needs to work on,” Rahul Dravid concluded.
India continued their undefeated run in 2024, having previously won the second Test against South Africa at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town at the start of the year.
The Rohit Sharma-led side followed it with a 3-0 triumph over Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Wife Ritika Sajdeh's post for husband Rohit Sharma following the India captain's record-breaking T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru went viral on social media.
After Rohit Sharma's on-field heroics, Ritika Sajdeh shared a picture of her husband on Instagram with the caption: “Special, just special.”
Ritika Sajdeh's special message for Rohit Sharma began trending on various social networks, including X, drawing a flurry of reactions from fans.
Ritika Sajdeh is perhaps Rohit Sharma's biggest cheerleader and is often seen supporting her husband from the stands.
Last year, throughout the ODI World Cup, Ritika Sajdeh was by Rohit Sharma's side through thick and thin, earning her rich plaudits from cricket admirers for her selfless support to the India captain.
Rohit Sharma's century also drew a reaction from Richard Kettleborough who shared a video of the India skipper's celebrations after his ton against the Central Asian side.
“I have never seen a T20 Century less Celebrated. Take a bow Rohit Sharma,” Richard Kettleborough wrote on X.
His tweet triggered all kinds of responses from Indian fans, with some of them reminding Richard Kettleborough that he should not officiate in Team India's matches as the Rohit Sharma-led team is often on the losing side whenever he does that.
“You are the reason for breaking billions of hearts! Don't you dare to umpire in a match when India is playing! Stay away from them,” a Team India admirer said in response to Richard Kettleborough's post on Twitter.
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