Rinku delivered a stunning cameo at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, hitting the Kiwi bowlers to all corners of the park. His innings included four fours and three sixes, helping India post a mammoth total of 238/7, following a blistering start from Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order.
India went on to register a comfortable 48-run victory, and Doull was quick to praise Rinku for his match-winning contribution. The veteran commentator called him one of the finest finishers in the game and expressed surprise that the batter hasn’t played more T20Is for India.
“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.
He added, “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.”
Rinku has been in and out of the Indian T20 team in recent years, often warming the bench when part of the squad. But on Wednesday, he showcased his prowess as a power-hitter in the death overs.
After New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl, Abhishek Sharma set the tone with a rapid 84 off 35 balls. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya contributed with important innings before Rinku’s finishing flourish sealed a massive total.
In reply, Glenn Phillips top-scored for New Zealand with a 78 off 40 balls, but the Black Caps were restricted to 190/7, handing India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
