Rinku Singh on India T20 call: “Everytime I talk to my parents, we end up crying” | Cricket News

Rinku Singh’s breakout season with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has earned him an India call-up, first for the 2023 Asian Games and now for the three-match T20I series against Ireland.During the IPL, Rinku grabbed headlines hitting five sixes in a row in the final over to win a game. Till then, he was known for only playing cameos, but that knock brought the Aligarh lad overnight stardom.After his inclusion for the series in Dublin, the 25-year-old left-hander says it still feels like a dream.
“Sapne jaisa hi hai (This is like a dream). I don’t want to wake up anytime soon,” laughs Rinku.

NEWS 🚨- @Jaspritbumrah93 to lead #TeamIndia for Ireland T20Is.
Team – Jasprit Bumrah (Capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shivam Dube, W Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep…
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 31, 2023
“It’s an amazing feeling, not easy for me to describe in words. I have reached this level from absolutely nothing. I am an emotional person, and everytime I talk to my parents, we end up crying,” he says.
Rinku’s journey has been unique. For the first three seasons in the IPL, he hardly made an impact, managing only 77 runs. He didn’t get to play a single game in the 2021 season. In the second half of IPL 2022, he played a couple of cameos but in losing cause. But IPL 2023 proved to be a game-changer, as he amassed 474 runs at a strike rate of 149.53.
“I have been with the KKR for six years. I got my chances initially but failed to make those count. I have learnt a lot during my early years with the team. I worked hard on my batting with Abhishek Nayar sir at the KKR academy in Mumbai. All that hard work is paying off,” says Rinku.
“No other franchise would have kept me after failing regularly, bur the KKR team management and Abhishek sir saw something in me that even I couldn’t. I would bat five to six hours everyday in the nets and learnt new shots. I think in those three years, I became an all-round batsman. I did well in the IPL, got recognition, and now am rewarded with an India call-up,” he adds.
Tough road
The journey from Aligarh to the Indian cricket team via IPL had a lot of turbulence. But Rinku knows how to keep himself calm. He takes pride in his past and says it not only keeps him grounded but also motivates him to keep working hard for his goals.
“I have no shame in telling people that I used to do menial jobs to make ends meet. What’s wrong with it? My past gives me the courage to face failures and difficulties,” he says.

🗣️
Revisiting his iconic 5⃣ sixes off 5⃣ balls 💥The joy of Asian Games call-up 👏Feeling of being called ‘Lord’ 😃
WATCH @rinkusingh235 talk about it all 🎥🔽 – @jigsactin | #Deodhartrophy https://t.co/Tx8P37sqqC pic.twitter.com/qU8dyitoTI
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) July 30, 2023
Following a great IPL, there was speculation that Rinku might me picked in the T20I squad for the West Indies tour. But he wasn’t.
“There was no dejection. I have seen worse. Not getting picked for the West Indies tour didn’t deter me at all. Selection is not in my hands. What I can do is score runs and I am just doing it,” he says.
Rinku has always wanted to play for India, but never thinks about it too much, and just like his batting makes plans on the field.
“I have this superstition that If I think too much, things will start to fall apart. I live in the present and that’s how I bat also. People keep asking me about those five sixes and the planning behind it. In reality, there was no planning. It was my day, I hit every ball, and connected well. It was all God’s plan, nothing else,” says Rinku.
He says the biggest takeaway from his career is that one should never give up on their dreams.
“Sapne sach hote hai (Dreams do come true). But for that, one should never give up. There is no shortcut in life and cricket. If you love cricket, keep on hustling. The reward will come,” he adds.