Young Rinku Singh put Aligarh on the cricketing map and also earned his captain’s praise after he played a major role in helping Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets and stay alive in the ongoing IPL 2022 on Monday.
Rinku Singh smashed an unbeaten 23-ball 42 studded with six boundaries and a six as he and Nitish Rana (48 not out) chased down a 153-run target with ease. This was KKR’s first victory after losing five matches on the trot. KKR now have four wins from six games and are placed seventh.
“A lot of players have played Ranji from Aligarh, but I am the first to play the IPL. This is big league and there is a lot of pressure obviously. I have been waiting for the last five years to get a chance,” said Rinku, who was adjudged the Man of the Match at the Wankhede Stadium.
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“I worked very hard, came back from injury and did well in the domestic circuit as well. When I was batting, Bhaiyya (Rana) and Baz (McCullum) told me to stay till the end and finish it,” he added. Seeing the youngster keep his calm under pressure, captain Shreyas Iyer called Rinku an ‘asset’ for the team.
“I was talking to my teammates in the dressing room and was like, the way he's maintaining his calm even in such pressure situations playing his second or third game, it's outstanding,” Iyer said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
“Building that partnership with Nitish Rana in that situation, it's something we have to praise about and he's a great asset for the future in the franchise.” Rinku came into the crease with KKR needing 61 runs in the last 7.1 overs.
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Along with Nitish Rana, the duo rotated the strike consistently with occasional boundaries and never let the opposition settle in. He and Rana put on 66 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket with Rinku himself contributing with 42.
“The way he has given starts right from the first game, he doesn't look like a newcomer in the team,” said Iyer. Iyer also praised his bowlers, especially veteran Umesh Yadav (1/24) and Sunil Narine (0/19) for consistently producing the goods for KKR.
“Right from the powerplay when our bowlers conceded just 36 runs and took a wicket, it was just the start we needed,” he said. “We have been talking about Umesh right from the start. He has increased his pace, bowls those hard lengths and as a captain you just have to give him the ball to deliver.
“Whenever I give Sunil Narine the ball, he gets me wickets, but the batsmen don't take chances against him. He is very economical, but when he gets a wicket, he gets a big one.” One area where KKR have struggled is the opening slot and Iyer said they will have to address the issue.
“We are looking for a good start. I love pressure, but it sweats a lot of me to build the innings in every game.” Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson blamed his batting unit for not being able to accelerate in the end.
“I think the wicket was a bit slow and they bowled really well, but with the batting we have I would have liked to score a few more boundaries at the end. I think we were short 15-20 runs,” he said.
