2007 T20 World Cup winner S Sreesanth likened India batter Rinku Singh to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, stating that the young cricket star's confidence was similar to the iconic sports star.
“I love Rinku Singh's confidence. He has been doing it consistently for every team he plays, whether it's club cricket, whether it's team cricket, whether it's a franchise. He doesn't care, doesn't get carried away but he speaks his heart out and that's Muhammad Ali for me,” S Sreesanth said in a conversation with IANS.
S Sreesanth is not the only former or current cricketer to praise Rinku Singh in recent days.
Before S Sreesanth, Rinku Singh earned rich plaudits from many retired Indian players, including Ashish Nehra.
On Sunday, Rinku Singh suffered a rare failure in India colors, having lost his wicket for six in the fifth T20I against Australia in Bengaluru.
Before his poor showing at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the Karnataka capital, Rinku Singh's 100-meter six in the fourth T20I against Australia sent the crowd into raptures at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur in the fourth T20I.
The chief planner of India's victory was Rinku Singh, who made 46 off 29 balls before Axar Patel grabbed three wickets to give India a comfortable win in Chhattisgarh.
During his whirlwind knock, Rinku Singh smashed a massive sixer off the bowling of Ben Dwarshuis in the 13th over of the Indian innings to mesmerize the fans in Raipur.
Rinku Singh danced down the track and smashed the ball in the long-on area as it landed into the stands for a sensational 100m six.
Barring Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, no Indian batter got going on a sluggish wicket that the Australian bowlers exploited well.
While Rinku Singh made a blistering 46, Jitesh Sharma smashed 35 off 19 deliveries to give India some momentum in the second half of their innings.
Without Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma's quickfire knocks, India would have struggled to cross even the 150-run mark.
But in the end, their contributions put India in a formidable position, considering the pitch was difficult to bat on.
In reply to India's 174/9, the Australians made a brisk start, with Travis Head dealing in boundaries and sixes up front.
However, once he departed at 31 off 16 balls in the fifth over, the Indian spinners, led by Axar Patel, took control of the proceedings on the field, making run-scoring tough for the Australian batters.
As Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi put a lid on the Australian run-scoring, wickets started to tumble in Raipur, with the former being the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 3/16.
On the other hand, Ravi Bishnoi played his part to perfection, registering stats of 1/17 in his quota of four overs.
Splendid performances from Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel ensured India's 20-run victory, giving them the series victory over Australia, only days after the Southern Hemisphere's side beat the hosts in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad.
With the 20-run triumph over the Kangaroos at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in the Chhattisgarh capital, India recorded their 136th win in T20Is, the most by any team in the shortest format.
Previously, Pakistan held the record, having secured 135 victories in T20Is. New Zealand is third on the list with 102 wins, while Australia and South Africa trail the Kiwis with 95 triumphs each.
India's world-record-setting victory over Australia came on the back of a solid bowling display, especially from their spinners after the Men in Blue put up only 174/9 on the board on a pitch that assisted spin.
This victory would have healed some of the wounds of the Indian cricketers, which they suffered at the hands of the Australians following their heartbreaking loss in the 2023 Cricket World Cup title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium last month.
Notably, Rohit Sharma and Co. were undefeated in the World Cup until the final, having dominated matches against opposition sides, yet came short against the Australians, with Pat Cummins executing his plans to the fullest.
Former India fast bowler Ashish Nehra called Rinku Singh's batting display in Raipur “praiseworthy” before lauding the Indian selectors for including the Aligarh-born cricketer in the national squad for the ODIs in South Africa.
“The most important thing was that he came in the ninth or tenth over today, he didn't come in the 17th or 18th over. We have seen him many times after the 16th over or so but the sort of knock he played was praiseworthy and the team needed that,” Ashish Nehra told JioCinema.
“There was a time when it seemed they (India) could reach 190 as well but if you had lost Rinku Singh's wicket at that stage, you might have been stopped at 160. Whether you would have won or lost that match, it is something for later,” the retired left-arm pacer elaborated.
“Firstly everyone needs to understand that you know Rinku Singh more because of T20s, but don't forget he has an average close to 50 even in the Ranji Trophy. He has been picked in the 50-over team as well, so the selectors would have seen something,” Ashish Nehra commented.
“It is a massive plus for the Indian team that you have selected him in the 50-over format and he got to bat early today and showed everyone that he can deliver in such a scenario as well,” he pointed out.
Another ex-Indian cricketer, Chandrakant Pandit, was in awe of Rinku Singh.
“Yes, he's [Rinku] a very sensible cricketer. What I liked about him is that he's a very calculative cricketer. If you talk to him, and if you watch his batting, you can see that he always plays with a calculative approach. He doesn't just go [for his shots], but he has the belief that he can finish the game in the last one or two overs,” Chandrakant Pandit told Mid-Day.
“No, he's a [Rinku] player who can bat at No. 5 and especially in the shorter formats, in which he's also a good finisher. So, his ability has to be utilised. There's no point in sending him in front [top-order]. His game is not required there. His game is required after the 12th over [in a T20I], as a finisher for which he has the ability and we know that,” he concluded.
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