Rinku Singh can play finisher role for India if given a longer rope: Abhishek Nayar

Rinku Singh (Photo: Twitter)

Having been through a lot of struggle during his early days, Rinku Singh has now become a household name with his exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year for two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Rinku has also performed well in domestic cricket and has deservingly been named in India’s squad for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, which begin on September 23.

KKR’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, who has seen Rinku’s development from close quarters, has backed the talented batter to excel in the finisher role for India in the future. However, the former India player advised the Indian team management to give Rinku ample opportunities because mastering the ‘tough’ role of a finisher could take time.

“There are multiple players who can achieve that. There is one player, Rinku Singh who played the role of a finisher really well for KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) in the 16th edition of the IPL. He has also played that role in domestic cricket, but in my opinion, he’ll still need some more time, he’ll need a longer rope, he needs to be backed,” said Nayar while speaking on the Republic World.

Rinku Singh has the unique capability of hitting big sixes consistently: Abhishek Nayar

Nayar praised young batting sensation Tilak Varma for his impressive performances at No. 4 for Mumbai Indians and most recently for the ‘Men in Blue’. The 39-year-old was confident that Rinku could also be a consistent performer for India lower down the order and explained what makes the diminutive batter special.

“Being a finisher is very tough and you’ll have more failures than success while taking that responsibility. It requires a lot of experience. Tilak Varma has proved his mettle up the order and he is terrific at number 4 but the only name that comes to my mind and I say it clearly without any bias is Rinku Singh,” added Nayar.

“I have seen this Indian kid do so well as a finisher. He has this unique capability of going in and consistently hitting big sixes. He is not one of the biggest blokes. He can play that role really well, but he will need that long rope,” concluded Nayar.