Kolkata Knight Riders’ all-rounder Andre Russell is not surprised to see his teammate Rinku Singh take the International stage by storm. The left-hander scored 14-ball 22 to get India over the line in the run-chase of 209 runs in the opening T20I against Australia.
The southpaw scored another fine knock of 9-ball 31 in the second T20I against Australia to add the finishing touches and helped India post 235 runs on the board. But the youngster did not get to bat in the third T20I of the series.
Singh has scored 128 runs in four T20I innings at a blistering strike rate of 216.95 and has shown the skills to take up the finisher role for the national team.
Meanwhile, Singh had done a fine job while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. The left-hander has scored 725 runs in 31 IPL matches at an average of 36.25 and a strike rate of 142.16.
Russell has observed Rinku Singh from close quarters and knows what the left-hander is capable of.
Russell said in an exclusive interaction with Hindustan Times: “I’m not surprised by what Rinku is doing. He joined KKR a few years ago. And every time he batted in practice games or in the nets, we saw the potential. He would hit those big shots. But getting that opportunity and doing it on the big stage, doing it IPL, finishing games after games, it gives him the confidence that every player desires.”
“I’ve been watching the games (India vs Australia T20Is) and if I miss something, I tune into the highlights and it’s mostly for Rinku,” Russell added.
Rinku Singh was KKR’s leading run-scorer with 474 runs at a strike rate of 149.53 in the previous season.
Russell feels the southpaw will get better with experience as he has all the skills to succeed at the top level.
“He has been a tremendous team man. It’s heartening to someone so young, who has so much passion for the game, doing so well in wearing the blue. And I think he will improve further and become an even better player as the years go by.”
The fourth T20I between India and Australia will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur on Friday.
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