‘Ye credit bhi Dhoni ko hi milna chahiye’ – Fans react as Rinku Singh recalls MS Dhoni’s advice after his last over finish vs Australia in 1st T20I

Rinku Singh played a pivotal role in India’s two-wicket win over Australia in the first T20I on Thursday, November 23. India had to chase their highest-ever target in T20Is, and it needed some incredible hitting and composure from Rinku to pull off the heist in Visakhapatnam. Chasing 209 runs, India were in the driver’s seat until Suryakumar was at the crease. However, the game took a sudden turn when the skipper was dismissed in the 18th over.

Surya’s 42-ball 80 took India closer to the finish line, but Australia made a game out of nothing towards the end. The hosts kept losing the wickets and dragged the game till the last over with 7 runs needed to win. A first ball four from Rinku made it easy for India but everyone’s heart rate went up when 1 run was needed off the final ball. However, Rinku kept his cool as usual and sent the delivery over the ropes for a maximum, though the umpire declared it as a no-ball.

After helping India take a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star recalled the advice given by former India captain MS Dhoni. Speaking to the Indian Cricket Board media, Rinku said that Dhoni advised him to stay calm in the final overs. “Once I talked with Mahi Bhai about last overs finishes, he told to be calm and I follow that,” the 26-year-old said.

Rinku is India’s new finisher after Dhoni and Hardik Pandya: Abhishek Nayar

Former India cricketer Abhishek Nayar impressed again with Rinku’s sensational knock. He feels the KKR batter has “mastered the art of finishing an innings” and has the potential to succeed Dhoni and Hardik Pandya in the finisher role.

“It takes a lot of character. We speak about someone, who has done it in the IPL and domestic cricket. Just to see Rinku hold his nerve and to have the have the composure shows that he has grown leaps and bounds,” Nayar was quoted as saying on Jio Cinemas.

“It tells you that he has mastered the art of finishing an innings. It’s not easy and it’s been a while that Hardik and MS Dhoni did that for us, but post that, there’s no one, who has played the finisher’s role so well. It’s not just the runs he gets, but the way he gets them. There is a certain calm and composure about the way he’s playing his cricket,” Nayar added.

Rinku got the tag of ‘finisher’ following his exploits for KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Throughout the tournament, the left-handed batter displayed some exceptional finishing skills, most notably hitting five consecutive sixes against Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer Yash Dayal to steer his side to a sensational win. Rinku, who bats in the lower middle order, has scored 474 runs in 14 IPL matches. His impressive performances earned him a national call-up and he did not disappoint on the international stage either.

Here’s how fans reacted to Rinku Singh giving credit to MS Dhoni: