Rinku Singh, who has evolved as the master of run chases, once again held his nerves in a last-ball thriller to guide Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a five-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens on May 8 (Monday). In death overs under pressure, Rinku had support from Andre Russell returned to his usual self and enthralled the Kolkata crowd with scintillating hits in his 23-ball 42 to take the run chase deep. Arshdeep Singh bowled a brilliant last over but in the end, Rinku was able to outsmart him to earn two crucial points for his side.
After the game, Russell spoke at length about the growth of Rinku and how he has earned the trust of everyone inside the dressing room.
"When you have Rinku at the other end, I'm not worried whether I take a single or.... He said, 'Russ, what if the ball beat you, should we go for it?' I said, 'Yes, sure!' because I have confidence in him and the angle coming into him as well is a little easier because the ball was tailing away from me. (Arshdeep) was nailing his yorkers wide... So I'm happy," Russell said after the match.
Chasing a target of 180 runs, the Knight Riders needed two runs off the final ball of the match. Arshdeep erred in line and bowled a full toss on Rinku's pads. The in-form KKR batter obliged and whipped the ball towards the fine-leg fence to roll out a crucial win for his franchise.
Russell continues to be in awe of Rinku's evolution as a finisher and even gets 'goosebumps' while watching his teammate weave his magic time and time again under immense pressure.
"I get goosebumps seeing him doing what he's doing now and I have company in the back end of this franchise. It's not just me and pressure on me. If I get a single, I know what he can do. He's been here for years and he's worked his way to where he is right now and he still has so much more to give. Very disciplined guy, hard-working and he's the funniest guy in the team. So you can't have a dull moment around Rinku. I always try to be close to him in the changing room. He tries to be tough but we are good friends," he added.
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