When I Spoke To Mahi Bhai..: Rinku Singh Opens Up On His Finishing Abilities

Rinku Singh has revealed the advice he received from MS Dhoni that has helped him enhance his finishing abilities. The highly-rated batsman has further enhanced his reputation as one of the best finishers in the country by impressing in the first T20I between India and Australia at Vizag on Thursday (November 23).

The left-handed batsman scored an unbeaten 22 runs off 14 balls with the help of 4 fours and India chased down 209 on the second last ball of the final over. With one run remaining off the final ball, Rinku Singh smashed Sean Abbott for a huge six but it did not count as the bowler had overstepped and the one run off the no-ball was enough for India to score the winning run.

After the game, Rinku expressed his delight over the win before opening up on how he was feeling during the chase. He stated that he wanted to take the game deep before finishing it off.

“We won the match, which is quite good for our team. When I went in to bat, it was a perfect situation for me, something I’ve experienced before. I was feeling really good batting with Surya bhaiya,” Rinku Singh told bcci.tv.

“We needed around 40 something runs in 4 overs. I was thinking that I would do what I’ve done before, stay calm as much as possible. Take it to the last over and finish it off,” he added.

Speaking further, he revealed how a conversation with MS Dhoni has helped him do well as a finisher, saying: “When I spoke to Mahi Bhai once or twice, he said that it’s better to stay as calm as possible and try to play as straightforward as you can. I follow the same. I remain calm and don’t give any kind of reaction. This works well for me.”

India take the lead:

Team India beat Australia by 2 wickets in the first T20I to take the lead in the five-match series. Asked to bat first, Australia piled up a huge total of 208 for in the allotted 20 overs thanks to a whirlwind century from Josh Inglis. The wicketkeeper-batsman smashed the fastest-ever T20I fifty by an Australian and scored 110 runs off 50 balls.

His innings was studded with 11 fours and 8 sixes. In reply, India chased down the total in 19.5 overs. After losing Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s innings got the much-needed impetus from a 112-run stand between stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav (80) and Ishan Kishan (58). Suryakumar also shared crucial stands with Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh before being dismissed. Rinku Singh then ensured to take the team home.