"These are the moments you work hard for" - Rinku Singh recalls 'emotional' moment of maiden India call-up
Rinku Singh has finally received his maiden India call-up for the T20I series against Ireland to be played in Dublin from Friday, August 18. The southpaw had a sensational IPL 2023 season and that has helped him propel into India's T20I plans.
In 14 matches in IPL 2023, Rinku scored 474 runs at a sensational strike rate of 149.53 and has shown that he could be the finisher India are looking for. Fans were rooting for him to get the national call-up and they can potentially see the southpaw making his debut on Friday.
In a video posted by BCCI, here's what Rinku told Jitesh Sharma about his reaction when he saw his Indian jersey for the first time:
"I am feeling really good. When I came into my room and when I saw the Indian jersey with number 35 and name 'Rinku' on it, I got very emotional. These are the moments you work hard for and when the dreams come true, it feels great."
Rinku also spoke about his mother's emotions after she got to know about his India call-up. He added:
"I was in Noida practicing with my friends when the squad was announced. It was a great feeling to see my name in the squad and I immediately called my mother. My mother always says 'Son, you have to play for India'. So her as well as my dreams are fulfilled."
Rinku Singh's hilarious comment to Jitesh Sharma
Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma made their T20 debuts together in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2013. The duo share a great bond and Rinku hilariously claimed that Jitesh could help him with communicating in English in Ireland.
Here's what he told Jitesh:
"It is good that you're travelling with me to Ireland because my English is a bit weak (laughs). We are travelling for the first time in business class and it is tough for us to understand what needs to be done."
India's problems in finding a finisher in T20Is were evident in their series loss against West Indies. This gives Rinku and Jitesh a great opportunity to prove their mettle.