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.
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