Abhishek Nayar, the assistant coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), suggested that middle-order batsman Rinku Singh is a strong contender to serve as the finisher in India’s limited-overs team.
Although the skilled 25-year-old wasn’t included in the current T20I series against West Indies, Rinku earned a place in the Indian squad for the T20I series against Ireland and the Asian Games 2023.
During IPL 2023, Rinku performed exceptionally well for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), scoring 474 runs with an impressive average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.53.
In a conversation with Republic World regarding the possible finisher for Team India, Nayar supported Rinku Singh but emphasized that the role demands full support and an extended opportunity.
“There are multiple players who can achieve that. There is one player, Rinku Singh who played the role of a finisher really well for KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) in the 16th edition of the IPL.”
“He has also played that role in domestic cricket, but in my opinion he’ll still need some more time, he’ll need a longer rope, he needs to be backed,” said Nayar.
Nayar also mentioned that although Tilak Varma is promising at the top, Rinku is presently the sole player capable of fulfilling the role of concluding the innings.
“Being a finisher is very tough and you’ll have more failures than success while taking that responsibility. It requires a lot of experience.”
“Tilak Varma has proved his mettle up the order and he is terrific at number 4 but the only name that comes to my mind and I say it clearly without any bias is Rinku Singh,” added Nayar.
“I have seen this Indian kid do so well as a finisher. He has this unique capability of going in and consistently hitting big sixes. As he is not one of the biggest blokes. He can play that role really well, but he will need that long rope,” concluded Nayar.
In addition to his exceptional performances in the IPL, Rinku Singh also possesses remarkable statistics in both first-class and List-A cricket.
The young cricketer maintains an average of nearly 58 in the domestic first-class competition, accumulating over 3,000 runs, and he holds an average of around 50 in the List-A format while representing Uttar Pradesh.
“That’s a brave question” -Abhishek Nayar’s thoughts on KKR’s decision to release Shubman Gill
Abhishek Nayar refrained from providing insight into the rationale behind Shubman Gill’s departure from the KKR team before the IPL 2022 auction.
Gill played four seasons for KKR between 2018 and 2021, scoring over 400 runs in the last two years. However, he was picked by Gujarat Titans in 2022 and has become one of the best IPL batters.
When questioned about KKR not re-signing Gill, Nayar responded:
“Woah, that’s a brave question. These are very internal matters and they remain within the franchise so I choose not to talk about that.”
During the 2022 season, the 23-year-old put up an impressive performance, amassing 483 runs with an average of 34.50. His contributions played a significant role in helping the Gujarat Titans secure the title in their debut IPL season.
However, in the 2023 season, Gill’s batting reached exceptional heights, ending as the leading run-scorer with a remarkable 890 runs at a strike rate of 157.80, featuring three centuries.
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