"T20 knocks shouldn't be long but memorable and impactful" - Aakash Chopra lauds Rinku Singh's innings in 2nd India vs Ireland T20I
Aakash Chopra has lauded Rinku Singh for playing a memorable and impactful knock in his first hit in international cricket.
Rinku smoked 38 runs off 21 deliveries as India set Ireland a 186-run target in the second T20I in Malahide, Dublin, on Sunday, August 20. The Men in Blue then restricted the hosts to 152/8 to register an emphatic 33-run win and seal the series 2-0 ahead of the final game at the same venue on Wednesday.
While reviewing the second T20I in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Rinku as his Player of the Match. He reasoned:
"The Player of the Match is Rinku Singh. He is mine and was the official one as well. He scored 38 runs off 21 balls. The thing I liked is that T20 knocks shouldn't be long but memorable and impactful, and this was an impactful knock."
While acknowledging that Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson also made substantial contributions, the former Indian opener highlighted that the Uttar Pradesh batter's knock was the most crucial. He elaborated:
"Ruturaj Gaikwad also scored a half-century, Sanju Samson also made runs, but Rinku Singh's knock added critical runs towards the end and it didn't make you feel that you don't have a batter at No. 8, which was something you were missing."
Rinku struck two fours and three sixes during his innings. He added 55 runs for the fifth wicket with Shivam Dube in just 4.4 overs to give the required final impetus to the Indian innings.
"He had the highest strike rate" - Aakash Chopra on Rinku Singh
Aakash Chopra pointed out that Rinku Singh played the most destructive knock among all Indian batters. He observed:
"If you see the runs scored by the entire team, it's not that he has scored the most runs, but he had the highest strike rate. Ruturaj Gaikwad went at a strike rate of 134, Sanju Samson went at a strike rate of 153 and he (Rinku) scored his runs at a strike rate of nearly 181 with the help of three sixes."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Kolkata Knight Riders batter was primarily responsible for India's final-overs flourish. He stated:
"When he came to bat at No. 5, India were 105/3 after 12.2 overs, and they scored 80 runs in the next eight overs, and he had a massive contribution in that. It was his second match for sure but he got to bat for the first time and he batted well under pressure and took his team to a position from where it was easy to win the match."
Chopra acknowledged that India registered a convincing win in the end. However, he highlighted that it could have been a different ball game had they been restricted to 165-odd instead of the 185-run total they finally posted.