Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra questioned Rinku Singh’s batting position after India won the opening T20I against South Africa convincingly by 61 runs at Kingsmead, Durban on Friday. India posted a par score of 202 runs after they were put into bat by Aiden Markram.
Sanju Samson was the star of the show as he scored 107 runs off just 50 balls with the help of seven fours and 10 sixes. However, Rinku Singh, who batted at number six, scored 11 runs off 10 balls before he was caught down the leg-side by wicket-keeper Heinrich Klaasen on the bowling of Gerald Coetzee.
Chopra noted that Rinku Singh has grabbed his chance whenever he has got a batting promotion.
“Are we being fair to Rinku? It’s a very important question. Why am I asking this question? You kept him in the team first, he is your original choice player. He was in your team against Bangladesh and before that as well. Whenever you have sent him up the order or he has got to bat in the powerplay, he has scored runs every time,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Meanwhile, Singh scored a fine knock of 53 runs in the second T20I against Bangladesh at Delhi when he batted at number five after India was reduced to 41-3.
“He has scored a half-century every time. He has emerged as a crisis man. He scored those half-centuries at very good strike rates. So this was that opportunity. Why don’t you send him at No. 4? What is the reason that you only send Rinku down the order, always at No. 6?” he observed.
Chopra noted that Singh is known to score his runs by timing the ball and knows how to drive the game forward.
“I am asking this question only because Rinku can finish but he is not just a finisher. This is my understanding. I feel he knows how to drive the game. He is hitting sixes but he is not someone who muscles the ball. He is not Andre Russell and he is not Hardik Pandya as well,” he said in the same video.
“He tries to score runs with timing and then he makes the most of whatever he has. I feel you could have played him at No. 4 in Durban. In fact, you could have done that in this entire series and moved Tilak Varma down because someone has to go at No. 6,” Chopra observed.
The second T20I between India and South Africa will be played at the St George’s Park, Gqeberha on Sunday.
