"Grateful for every moment in blue" - Rinku Singh on completing one year in international cricket
Team India's left-handed batter Rinku Singh completed one year in international cricket on Sunday, August 18. The southpaw made his debut in the T20I series opener between India and Ireland in Dublin last year.
Rinku didn't get a chance to bat in his debut outing. He scored an impactful 38-run knock in the subsequent fixture, while the third and final T20I of the series was washed out due to rain.
The 26-year-old shared a picture of his maiden India cap on Sunday. He captioned the Instagram post:
"One year since the dream that turned into reality. Grateful for every moment in blue. Jai Hind 🇮🇳💙."
Rinku Singh was last seen in action during India's three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka last month. He failed to get going in the series, scoring just two runs from as many innings.
However, he made a significant impact with the ball in the third T20I, claiming two wickets and giving away just three runs when Sri Lanka required nine runs to win from 12 balls.
Rinku has scored 410 runs from 23 T20I at an average of 59.71 and a strike rate of 174.16. He has also played two ODIs and has 55 runs to his name in the format.
Rinku Singh not picked for the upcoming 2024 Duleep Trophy
The upcoming 17th edition of the Duleep Trophy is set to kick off on September 5. Team India stars like KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Shubman Gill are set to take part in the red-ball competition.
However, Rinku Singh didn't find a place in any of the four squads. His exclusion surprised many, given his impressive first-class record. The dynamic batter has 3173 runs from 69 innings at an average of 54.70 in first-class cricket.
It is worth mentioning that Rinku could be added to one of the squads for the second round of the Duleep Trophy, considering that several players will join India's Test squad for the two-match home series against Bangladesh.