'Bandar kaata tha isliye?': Shubman Gill interrupts Rinku Singh's interview, says he runs faster because of monkey bite

Rinku Singh is ecstatic to train under head coach Rahul Dravid and revealed the conversation during the practice session in Durban ahead of first T20I of the series.

SportsTak Desk

• Sat • 09 Dec 2023

Rinku Singh and Shubman Gill during a practice session ahead of first T20I against South Africa (Screengrab: BCCI TV)

Highlights:

Rinku Singh is ready for the Protea challenge in his first away tour with the senior side barring the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023.

Rinku has had a good record so far with an average of 60 and a strike rate just below 190.

Rinku Singh has established himself as a middle-order batter in T20Is. Ahead of the first T20I of the three-match series on South African soil, Rinku trained with head coach Rahul Dravid for the first time. An ecstatic Rinku is ready to push himself to tackle the extra pace on South African pitches. During the interview, Rinku also talked about his fitness when opener Shubman Gill interrupted him and revealed that he runs faster because of a monkey bite.

Rinku showed his left hand where he got bitten by the monkey. However, he did not divulge when and where it happened.

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Rinku revealed Dravid's advice to him ahead of the first T20I in Durban. "The first practice session, I enjoyed it a lot because of the fine wether. Getting the opportunity to work with Rahul Dravid sir, so that was a good feeling. He told me to continue playing the way I do and continue believing in myself," Rinku told BCCI.tv.

"(He told me) to keep playing at No. 5 or 6. It is tough to play in that position, but keep pushing yourself and believe in yourself."

Rinku said that it is a tough position to play at but he has been doing it for long.

"I have been playing for UP since 2013 at No. 5 or 6. So, I have got used to that position. I keep backing myself to play in that position because it is very tough to play in that position if 4-5 wickets are down," the 26-year-old said.

"Then you have to build a partnership. So I keep telling myself, the more I can keep myself calm, the better it is (for me), and not to react.”

Rinku also emphasised on the need to enjoy time with his teammates as he said, "We 4-5 players remain in a group. Me, Ravi (Bishnoi), Arshdeep (Singh), Avesh (Khan), Jitesh (Sharma). We enjoy each other's company, which is very important in cricket."

So far, Rinku has scored 180 runs from six innings at an average of 60. His strike rate is a stupendous 187.50.

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