The latest hero of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rinku Singh, who added a glorious chapter to the IPL story by pulling off an unthinkable win against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad, revealed that he dreams of wearing India’s colors and following his idol Suresh Raina. Even the best batters in the world would not have bet on hitting five consecutive sixes with their team needing 28 from the last five balls.
However, Rinku Singh managed to take his team over the line, producing a fantastic knock that will be remembered and talked about for years. His 48 not out from 21 balls included six sixes and a boundary, as KKR finished the game with a 200-plus chase. It was perhaps the most unlikely yet sensational IPL win in history, coming against GT, for whom stand-in skipper, Rashid Khan had almost sealed the deal with the first hat-trick of the season.
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During an exclusive interview with India Today, Rinku Singh “Like everyone else, I also dream of playing for India, but I am focused on the IPL. Just want to keep performing for KKR and help them win matches. Suresh Raina has been my idol since the start and I follow him. He is a very good fielder and he also used to bat lower down the order as I do.”
Rinku Singh (in India Today) said "My Idol is Suresh Raina, he is a very good fielder, bats in lower order as I do, my dream is to play for India".
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 10, 2023
While Rinku’s story will feature among the ‘rags to riches’ stories, as he was bought by KKR for just INR 55 lakh, it is extraordinary because what happened on Sunday evening was the culmination of all of the 25-year-old’s hard work and the KKR franchise’s unwavering faith and support.
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Rinku comes from a lower-middle-class family in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. His father used to deliver LPG cylinders, and during the 2015-16 season, when they had an INR 5 lakh debt, Rinku began saving from his daily allowance and even took on the job of a domestic worker, where he would have been required to sweep and mop.
Explaining the same, Rinku Singh said, “My father struggled a lot, I come from a farmer’s family. Every ball that I hit out of the ground was dedicated to the people who sacrificed so much for me.”
