NEWS
Follow UsRinku Singh might be a household name because of his Indian Premier League (IPL) heroics, but deep down, he harbours the hopes that almost every cricketer does, getting the national team’s Test cap.
Since white-ball cricket is played by nearly everyone now because of mushrooming leagues, Rinku is most fascinated by the red-ball. However, the middle-order batter has not been named in the Duleep Trophy 2024 squads for the first round.
“Mujhe bahut pasand hai laal ball khelna [I like playing with the red ball],” Rinku told News 24 on the sidelines of the UP T20 2024 opening ceremony. “Bahut maja aata hai mujhe khelne mein [I enjoy playing the longest format of the game],” added the Uttar Pradesh batter who has already made his India debut in the white-ball formats.
Rinku, who has had a decent outing in first-class cricket with 3,173 runs in 47 games at an average of 54.70, further made a case for himself saying, “Test khelna bahut badi baat hai aaj ke time mein, toh vo mai khelna chahunga [Playing Test is a big thing in today’s world of short-format cricket, so I would like a chance to prove myself]. My batting average in red-ball cricket is 55 [54.7].”
Rinku, who was named in the Indian T20 World Cup 2024 squad as a travelling reserve, said that he wanted to be part of the main squad, but things were not in his hands. “Every player dreams about playing for the country in the World Cup, and it is my dream as well. I have done well for India, but team selection is not in my hands.”
The 26-year-old from Aligarh even joked that if selectors had known about his bowling abilities back then, he might have made it to the main squad. “It was the selector’s call due to team combinations [failed to find a place], but no problem; I will play in the World Cup next time. I will work harder,” he added.
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