The role of a finisher in Indian cricket has always been a topic of discussion, but Rinku Singh, who hails from a small town in Uttar Pradesh, has started to put an end to this debate. His performance in the first T20I match against New Zealand, ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, has left everyone praising him.
Rinku scored an unbeaten 44 runs off 20 balls in the match, not only securing a victory for Team India but also equaling a major record held by former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Rinku Singh equals Dhoni's record.
In the first T20 match played in Nagpur, Rinku Singh played an unbeaten innings of 44 runs off just 20 balls against New Zealand, which included 4 fours and 3 sixes. During this innings, he hit two sixes in the 20th over, placing him jointly second on the list of batsmen with the most sixes in the 20th over of a T20 International match for India.
Rinku has now hit a total of 12 sixes in the last over, which equals MS Dhoni's record (12 sixes). Interestingly, Dhoni achieved this feat in 132 balls, while Rinku achieved it in only 38 balls. Only Hardik Pandya (15 sixes) is ahead of Rinku on this list.
Most sixes in the 20th over for India
Hardik Pandya: 15 sixes (99 balls)
Rinku Singh: 12 sixes (38 balls)
MS Dhoni: 12 sixes (132 balls)
Suryakumar Yadav: 11 sixes (28 balls)
Former legend criticizes the Indian team management.
Seeing Rinku's capabilities, former New Zealand fast bowler and renowned commentator Simon Doull has questioned the Indian team management. He said that Rinku should have played 100 matches by now. He believes that Team India has not utilized a talented player like Rinku Singh properly.
Doul said,
"Rinku Singh is one of the best finishers in the game. I think India has given him very few opportunities. Given his potential, he should have played at least 100 T20 matches for India by now. Rinku may be short in stature, but he possesses tremendous power and is a nightmare for bowlers in the death overs." - Simon Doul.
Will he get a place in the playing XI for the T20 World Cup?
His innings in Nagpur before the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he scored at a strike rate of 220, have proven that he is capable of hitting big shots even under pressure.
It's worth noting that Rinku was not part of India's T20 team until the last series, but he has now been selected for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Previously, it was said that Rinku wasn't getting opportunities due to team combination issues, but currently, there doesn't seem to be a more brilliant finisher in world cricket who is capable of batting according to the situation.
Regarding the match, India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs in the first T20, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Thanks to the innings of Abhishek Sharma (84 runs) and Rinku Singh, India posted a massive score of 238 runs. In reply, the Kiwi team could only manage 190 runs, and Team India won the match by 48 runs.
Gambhir-Shashi Tharoor: What did coach Gambhir say? Why did his post in response to Tharoor's tweet spark controversy?
India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs in the first T20 match played in Nagpur. However, more than Team India's victory, a tweet by coach Gautam Gambhir is generating much discussion. Gambhir's reply
Greenland Row: 'Donald Trump... go to hell,' Danish MP lashes out at US aggression over Greenland.
US President Donald Trump's aggression regarding Greenland continues to escalate. Meanwhile, a statement from a Danish Member of Parliament has made headlines. In his statement, the MP advised Donald
IND vs NZ: The Indian team is struggling in the all-rounder experiment, and the 'Men in Blue' look lost.
In the first ODI played in Vadodara, the Indian batsmen struggled to chase down the target of 301 runs, and in the second ODI played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, the Indian batsmen's poor
T20 World Cup 2026: Will Bangladesh participate or boycott? The ICC has given a deadline until January 21st.
The conflict over cricket between India and Bangladesh is escalating ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send its players to India and demanded that the ICC
BJP's New President: A heavy burden of responsibilities will rest on Nabin's young shoulders; the upcoming elections will be a crucial test.
The responsibility of the world's largest party, the BJP, now rests on the shoulders of Nitin Nabin, its youngest president to date. Nitin Nabin, who has come to power with a message of generational
BMC Polls: Thackeray brothers react after the defeat; MNS chief says - the struggle is for Maharashtra and Marathi identity.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray reiterated his commitment to the Marathi community and Marathi identity after the BMC elections. He said that even if the election results were not
'You cannot stop the issuance of notices,' the Supreme Court told Mamata's lawyer Sibal in the I-PAC raid case.
The Supreme Court is hearing a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today. The petition, filed by the ED, alleges that the Bengal
After Pongal, PM Modi also performed cow service on Makar Sankranti: The Prime Minister was seen feeding fodder to cattle, and shared pictures.
On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, Prime Minister Narendra Modi fed cows at his official residence. Earlier, on January 14th, the PM had performed 'Gau Seva' (service to cows) on the
Singer B Praak: 'Give us ten crore rupees or we will bury you...', Singer B Praak receives threat from Lawrence gang.
Punjabi singer B Praak has received a threat. The Lawrence gang has demanded a ransom of ten crore rupees from the singer. An audio recording was sent to Punjabi singer Dilnoor on the afternoon of
Bangladeshi terrorists could launch an attack before January 26; an alert has been issued in Delhi and several other states.
Security agencies have issued a major alert ahead of the Republic Day celebrations (January 26). According to intelligence sources, Khalistani terrorist organizations and Bangladesh-based terror
