Numbers prove it: Why Rinku Singh is India’s ultimate death-overs weapon

Every run matters in a cricket game, more so when the match is against your arch-rivals in a T20 World Cup. With India batting first against Pakistan during the Sunday clash, it was difficult to say what would have been a winning total. Yes, it was a sluggish pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo where captain Suryakumar Yadav laboured to 32 runs in 29 balls, and Tilak Varma scored 25 in 24. But Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube’s blistering knocks of 77 off just 40 balls and 27 in 14, respectively, showed that there were enough runs in the pitch.

That is why Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 11 off just four balls, at a strike rate of 275, was worth its weight in gold.

Rinku mania at Colombo

You don’t win matches by relying only on the weakness of our opposition. The best of the best prioritise the controllables. The focus is always on doing the best they can and then applying pressure on the opposition. Rinku’s quick-fire 11, which included one six and a four, was part of the same strategy.

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It was the safety net that ensured that even if a couple of Pakistani batters had a good day, the total would always be outside their reach.

Notably, Rinku entered the innings after 18.5 overs had already been completed. He replaced SKY, who was struggling to produce a clean hit. The first ball to Rinku was also a dot.

But the next time Rinku came on strike in the final over, he smashed Shaheen Shah Afridi for a cut shot four to backward point. The next ball was smoked for a six over the mid-wicket as Afridi missed a yorker. The UP batter took a single on his fourth ball as he was restricted to the non-striker’s end.

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Incredibly, Rinku took just two balls to hit his first four of the match, and just three balls to launch the first maximum. More incredibly, both the high-scoring shots came in the final over of the innings, highlighting Rinku’s nerves of steel and his ability to launch an attack from the word go.

And stats prove this aptitude.

The 28-year-old Rinku has a strike rate of 270.21 in the final over of a T20 international match. He has scored 127 runs off just 47 balls he has faced in the 20th over in 16 innings, smashing a mind-boggling 13 sixes and nine fours.

Numbers prove Rinku’s talent

His batting strike rate is a staggering 244.18 when the data for the 19th over of a T20I innings is considered. In just 43 balls, the Aligarh lad has smashed 105 runs. His sixes count stands at 10.

His overall strike rate for 19th and 20th overs is 257.20! Also, 232 of Rinku’s 659 T20I runs in 43 matches have come in the final two overs of an innings. That is an eye-popping 35% of his career runs coming in just the last two overs at a strike rate of over 250.

One mustn’t forget that Rinku first made the headlines after he famously blasted five consecutive sixes in the final over of a chase for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023. KKR needed 28 runs off the last five balls to win, and when everything looked impossible, Rinku made it possible.

The most amazing thing here is Rinku’s consistency in doing this incredible thing time and again.

"Because he's the Knight #KKR deserves and the one they need right now" - Rinku Singh 😎#GTvKKR #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema | @KKRiders pic.twitter.com/b1QrN3fLjX

— JioHotstar Reality (@HotstarReality) April 9, 2023

He has scored 414 runs in the death overs (17-20) in the IPL since 2023 at a miraculous strike rate of almost 202.3. Only Tim David (463) has made more runs in this stage during this period, but the big Australian has a lower strike rate (197.25).

Once you take a look at the full picture, it’s surprising that a batter with such insane ball-striking ability under pressure was initially not in the race for the T20 World Cup, and it was only Shubman Gill’s poor form that brought him back into the squad.

Nonetheless, the BCCI selectors eventually ended up making the right decision, and the impact of it was briefly felt during the death overs against Pakistan. They would now hope the full wrath of Rinku’s last over heroics is unleashed in more crucial matches as India try to become the first team to defend the T20 World Cup crown.