Dinesh Karthik lauds Abhishek Nayar after Rinku Singh’s heroics
Rinku Singh has enhanced his reputation as the new finisher in Indian cricket. He scored a brilliant 22* off 14 balls to help India win the first game of a five-match T20I series by two wickets in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, November 23. The southpaw earned praise from fans as well as experts for his mature performance.
Dinesh Karthik, who played alongside Rinku for four seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from 2018-2021, saw his development from close quarters. The wicketkeeper-batter revealed that during his tenure with KKR, Abhishek Nayar, who is the assistant coach of the two-time IPL champions, spotted the potential in Rinku and took him under his wing to help him hone his skills. Karthik shared a picture of Nayar hugging Rinku after India’s thrilling win against Australia and stated that the Secunderabad-born has grown in stature as a coach after the memorable performance from his student.
DK’s heartwarming post for Abhishek Nayar & Rinku Singh
Earlier in the day, India’s stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first. The pitch was a belter and Josh Inglis made good use of it by slamming a 50-ball 110, batting at No. 3. Steve Smith, who opened the innings, also notched up a half-century as Australia finished at 208/3 in 20 overs. All the bowlers were expensive but Mukesh Kumar deserves a special mention as he was the most economical bowler, conceding just 29 runs in his four overs.
In reply, Yashasvi Jaiswal got off to a flying start while vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was unfortunately run out without facing a ball. After Jaiswal departed for 21 off eight balls, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar put on a stunning 112-run partnership off 60 balls. The home side was cruising at 134/2 in 12.2 overs. However, Kishan departed for 58 off 39 and Suryakumar also perished for a remarkable 42-ball 80 as wickets fell every now and then. However, Rinku stood firm from one end and took his team home with two wickets and one ball to spare.
