Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull lauded India's designated finisher in T20Is, Rinku Singh after he scored an unbeaten 20-ball 44 on his return to the side. Doull labelled Rinku as one of the best finishers in the format and wondered why he hasn't played 100 T20Is for India already.
“Rinku Singh is one of the best finishers in the game. We saw him burst onto the scene in the IPL four or five years ago, and I still feel he hasn’t played enough T20 cricket for India since then. He should have featured far more and could easily have played 100 games by now,” Doull told Star Sports.
“Rinku needs to be backed in that finishing role because he is exceptional at it. Despite his height, he is incredibly powerful, and his ability to get under the ball at the death makes him extremely difficult to bowl to,” Doull added.
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Rinku smashed three sixes and four fours in his 20-ball 44, helping India post a gigantic total of 238/7. India ended up winning the match by 48 runs at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.
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Rinku admits he was under pressure on return
Last year, Rinku was on the Australia tour but did not play a single match. The only match he made it to the playing eleven, rain played spoilsport. Then, he was dropped from the five-T20I series against South Africa. For the T20 World Cup 2026, he was brought back into the squad and repaid selectors’ faith with an impact knock.
“There was pressure on me as I was in and out of the team. The plan was to take singles, doubles and in between hit the boundary. Also to stay till the end and finish it off. That's what I did. GG (Gautam Gambhir) sir told me to keep the intent,” Rinku told the broadcasters after India’s win.
Rinku’s T20I numbers
Rinku made his T20I debut in 2023. He has played 36 T20Is. From 26 innings, he scored 594 runs at an average of 45.69 and strike rate of 165. He has scored three half-centuries in the format so far.