(Reuters) – Rinku Singh has had a season to remember in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year but the explosive middle order batter is not thinking about selection for the national team despite lighting up the league with his batting heroics.
In the first four years of his IPL career, Rinku had scored 251 runs without a half-century to his name. But this year the 25-year-old has amassed 474 runs for the Kolkata Knight Riders with four fifties.
He first made headlines last month when he smashed five sixes off five deliveries to chase down the Gujarat Titans’ mammoth target in the last over when they needed 29 for victory.
On Saturday, he nearly did it again in Kolkata’s final game when they needed 21 off the last over against Lucknow Super Giants, falling short of the target by just one run as he finished on 67 not out off 33 balls.
“It feels really good when you have this kind of season but I’m not thinking about selection for the Indian team. I will go home, stick to my routine and continue to practice,” the uncapped Rinku told reporters.
“The name and fame will be there, but I’ll just stick to my work… My family members are very happy. A lot of things have worked well.
“After I hit those five sixes I started getting a lot of respect from the people and now a lot of people recognise me. So it feels good.”
For twice champions Kolkata, Rinku was the bright spark in a season where they failed to clinch a playoff spot for a second straight year.
“I think it feels like all 14 matches I’ve spoken about Rinku. I am personally very happy for him, the way the season has gone for him,” Kolkata skipper Nitish Rana said.
“He’s quite close to me and I know how much hard work he has done. I don’t really have words to describe him because the entire country knows what he has done.
“If he can bat in situations like these, he can do anything.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
