Uttar Pradesh's star batter Rinku Singh once again proved his batting might in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2026-2026 with another commendable century. Facing Goa in a crucial Elite Group Ranji Trophy fixture, UP found themselves in an absolute quagmire, staring down the barrel at a precarious 124/7.
Enter Rinku Singh. Shelving his trademark explosive T20 instincts and white-ball swagger, the left-hander delivered a masterclass in situational batsmanship. Playing with immense responsibility, Rinku orchestrated a magnificent, rescue operation, anchoring his side single-handedly to a total of 202. His stellar 118-run knock, which was studded with 11 fours and two sixes, not only revived UP from the brink of total collapse but also served as a stark reminder of his evolving red-ball pedigree, marking his second consecutive century in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.
Rinku Singh rescues Uttar Pradesh with a gritty ton against Goa
The match began with Uttar Pradesh struggling to get any meaningful partnerships going against a disciplined and probing Goa bowling attack. The pitch at the venue offered early assistance to the seamers, and Goa’s bowling unit capitalized ruthlessly.
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Uttar Pradesh’s top and middle order crumbled under sustained pressure. Wickets tumbled at regular intervals, leaving the dressing room in complete disarray. Every time UP attempted to rebuild, a breakthrough from Goa bowlers pegged them back further. Within no time, the scorecard painted a grim picture: Uttar Pradesh had slumped to a dismal 124 for the loss of seven wickets. The threat of being bowled out for a sub-par score well under 150 loomed large, which would have handed Goa an insurmountable first-innings advantage.
With frontline batters back in the pavilion and the lower order exposed, the onus fell entirely on Rinku Singh to salvage the innings.
When Rinku walked out to the middle, the situation demanded nothing short of complete application. Recognizing that any reckless stroke would trigger an immediate collapse, Rinku underwent a complete mental gear shift. Known worldwide for his death-over heroics in white-ball cricket, he transformed into a classical red-ball anchor.
Initially, Rinku concentrated purely on survival. He respected the good deliveries, dead-batting incoming seamers and leaving well outside the off-stump. Goa’s bowlers threw everything at him—probing lengths, short-pitched intimidations, and tight lines—but Rinku stood like a rock. He took his time to get accustomed to the pace and bounce of the wicket, rotating the strike whenever possible and refusing to give the fielding side an opening.
Once he settled in and assessed the conditions, Rinku began to farm the strike expertly with the tailenders. Knowing he had to protect his partners, he took calculated risks. He punished anything overpitched or fractionally short with crisp, textbook cricket shots. His driving through the off-side was immaculate, and his placement into the gaps kept the scoreboard ticking even when boundaries were hard to come by.
As wickets continued to fall at the other end, Rinku shifted gears slightly to ensure UP squeezed every possible run out of their innings. He brought up his hard-fought hundred to rousing appreciation from his teammates and the dugout. His innings was a triumph of temperament, composed under pressure, technically sound, and remarkably mature.
When Rinku was finally dismissed, he had compiled a magnificent 118 runs, doing the heavy lifting for the entire team. Remarkably, his knock accounted for more than half of Uttar Pradesh’s total score of 202 all out, single-handedly pushing them past the psychological 200-run mark and giving their bowling unit something competitive to defend.
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Rinku ton follows centurion knock against Bihar
Just prior to this rescue act against Goa, Rinku had served a notice of his exceptional touch with a brilliant 112-run knock against Bihar. In that fixture, he had displayed a similar ability to control the tempo of the game, wearing down the opposition bowlers before launching into a well-paced exhibition of strokeplay.
Rinku breaks into record books
Rinku Singh etched his name into cricket folklore during the 2023 Indian Premier League by smashing five consecutive sixes in the final over to snatch an improbable victory for Kolkata Knight Riders. That breathtaking display catapulted him into national reckoning, paving the way for a regular spot in India's T20I setup and culminating in a triumphant campaign at the 2026 T20 World Cup. Yet, despite his white-ball heroics, the 28-year-old finds himself temporarily omitted from both the senior national team and the India A squad.
Refusing to let the international snub hinder his momentum, Rinku has quietly transitioned his prolific form into the red-ball arena. His recent run in First-Class cricket has been nothing short of extraordinary, compiling scores of 89, 68, 165*, 176, 60, 20, 112, and 118* across his last eight outings. This phenomenal sequence has elevated his career First-Class average to an elite 61.33 across 78 innings, placing him in an exclusive global top-ten club alongside Sarfaraz Khan.
Batters with highest First-Class average (min 50 innings)
| Rank | Player | Career Span | Matches | Total Runs | Batting Average | Centuries (100s) | Half-Centuries (50s) |
| 1 | Don Bradman | 1927–1949 | 234 | 28,067 | 95.14 | 117 | 69 |
| 2 | Vijay Merchant | 1929–1951 | 150 | 13,470 | 71.64 | 45 | 52 |
| 3 | George Headley | 1927–1954 | 103 | 9,921 | 69.86 | 33 | 44 |
| 4 | Ajay Sharma | 1984–2001 | 129 | 10,120 | 67.46 | 38 | 36 |
| 5 | Bill Ponsford | 1920–1934 | 162 | 13,819 | 65.18 | 47 | 43 |
| 6 | Bill Woodfull | 1921–1934 | 174 | 13,388 | 64.99 | 49 | 58 |
| 7 | Shantanu Sugwekar | 1987–2002 | 85 | 6,563 | 63.10 | 19 | 26 |
| 8 | Sarfaraz Khan | 2014–2026 | 64 | 5,160 | 62.92 | 17 | 16 |
| 9 | Rinku Singh | 2016–2026 | 55* | 3,987 | 61.33 | 11 | 23 |
| 10 | KC Ibrahim | 1938–1950 | 60 | 4,716 | 61.24 | 14 | 22 |
Beyond his red-ball prowess, Rinku maintains a stellar 52.56 average in List A fixtures and a blistering 147.39 strike rate over 202 T20 appearances. This remarkable multi-format adaptability highlights a complete batter at the peak of his powers, leaving selectors with plenty to ponder as he knocks louder on the doors of a national recall. He was expected to be selected in India's T20I squad for the New Zealand, but yet again he was snubbed.