Rinku Singh: 5 points on India's new 'finisher' after T20 heroics against Australia in Vizag

India edged past Australia in a last-ball thriller in the opening game of the five-match  T20I series at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. While the fans, and players, are still recovering from last Sunday's heartbreaking loss in the ODI World Cup final against the same opposition, they now have a new hero to worship in the shortest format of the game.

Chasing a huge target of 209 runs for victory, India left it to the last ball before they could complete a dramatic win as Rinku Singh emerged as the Men in Blue's 'finisher' with a 14-ball cameo that saw him hit the winning run, which ended up not counting towards his score as the bowler bowled a no-ball. Leaving the extra delivery aside, Singh hit 22 valuable runs to see the Men in Blue home, despite wickets tumbling at the other end and causing a hint of panic inside the dressing room and those watching in the stands and at home.
He already has one hero performance to his name, in the 2023 IPL season, when he smashed 5 sixes of Yash Dayal to snatch victory for KKR from the jaws of defeat. Needing 28 runs to win off the last 5 balls, KKR was staring at defeat as the home side Gujarat Titans only needed to complete the formality of finishing the 20th over; an easy victory was all but guaranteed for the home side. However, what followed was an epic showmanship of power hitting as Singh sweetly timed those final 5 balls to stun the then defending champions and the Ahmedabad crowd.

While that innings cemented his place in the hearts of IPL fans, yesterday's heroics against Australia has made his case for a permanent slot in the Indian setup even firmer.

Here are a few pointers about Rinku Singh:

• He was born on October 12 1997 in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh and grew up in modest surroundings. His father worked as an LPG gas cylinder seller while his older brother drove an autorickshaw. He has another brother, who works in a coaching centre.


• Prior to starting his cricketing journey, he got a job as a sweeper at a coaching centre. He refused to take it up and insisted on embarking on a career in cricket.


• KKR picked him up at the 2022 IPL auction for Rs 80 lakh. They had to fend off Mumbai Indians but eventually won the bid in their favour.


• In his opening season with KKR, Singh showed glimpses of his power-hitting ability in a game against Lucknow Super Giants with a 15-ball 40-run cameo. However, he could not get KKR over the line as they lost by 2 runs chasing 211. He made 174 runs in seven matches at a strike-rate of 148.72. He established himself in the eyes of the Indian fans, and selectors, with a much improved campaign in the 2023 season. He racked up 474 runs from 14 innings, including THAT innings against LSG, at a super strike rate of 149.53.


• He made his debut against Ireland in a T20 game but did not bat in his first match. His heroics on Thursday against Australia was his 6th innings for India in the format, and he has so far amassed 97 runs at an eye-watering strike rate of 194.