“He knows when to pull the trigger” - Ruturaj Gaikwad praises Rinku Singh for impressive knock in 2nd India vs Ireland T20I
Team India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad praised Rinku Singh for his impressive innings in the second T20I against Ireland on Sunday, saying that the batter knows when to pull the trigger. Gaikwad also opined that tasting success with the bat early in his international career will help the player a lot.
Gaikwad top-scored with 58 off 43 in India’s 33-run win over Ireland in the second T20I in Dublin. However, Rinku was named the Player of the Match for his 21-ball 38 as the Men in Blue posted 185-5 after being asked to bat first.
At a post-match press conference, Gaikwad shared his thoughts on Rinku’s performance and termed him as someone who assesses the match situation very well.
"Rinku has already become everyone's favourite after this year's IPL. He showed a lot of maturity while batting this year in the IPL. One of the standout things about Rinku is that he doesn't attack from ball one. He always gives himself time. Whatever the situation is, he always assesses the condition and then he goes on the attack mode," the Indian opener said.
“So, I think, this is a good thing to learn for all the upcoming players or people who want to be a finisher. It's always important that you take some time, and, then, you can always cover up later. So, this year he has learned this skill well. He knows when to pull the trigger. He pulls the trigger at the right time. It was an important innings for him, as it was his debut. And I feel, this will help him a lot," Gaikwad added.
Rinku smashed two fours and three sixes in his innings, adding 55 runs for the fifth wicket with Shivam Dube (22* off 16).
“It is tough to pick an XI” - Team India skipper Bumrah
Earlier, at the post-match presentation ceremony, Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah said that picking an XI is a tough job, as all the players are eager and confident.
He, however, admitted that having options to choose from is a good headache to have:
“It is tough to pick an XI. It’s a great headache to have. Everyone is eager. Everyone is confident. All of us wanted to play for India. Eventually, everyone has to work their way up.
"If you play with a baggage of expectation, you are under pressure. You have to keep those expectations aside. You are not doing yourself 100 percent justice if you are playing with so many expectations."
Bumrah excelled with figures of 2-15, while Prasidh Krishna and Ravi Bishnoi also picked up two wickets each as India resticted Ireland to 152-8 in the second T20I.