“FINALLY” – KKR’s Rinku Singh reacts after earning maiden call-up in India squad for Asian Games

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) sensation Rinku Singh has been included in India’s squad for the upcoming 19th Asian Games.

The 25-year-old was picked among a 15-member squad for the T20 tournament, which is set to be played from September 28 to October 8. The development comes weeks after the Aligarh-born batter was ignored for the five-match T20I series in West Indies, raising several eyebrows.

Following his inclusion, Rinku shared KKR's post of him in an India jersey and reacted with a 'Nazar Amulet' emoji.

Rinku Singh shares a picture of himself in an India jersey.

Rinku Singh has been a revelation with the bat for KKR in the Indian Premier League. The youngster first shot to fame after scoring 174 in seven games at a strike rate of 149.53 during the IPL 2022 campaign.

Rinku then amassed 474 runs in 14 games last season at a strike rate of 149.53, including four half-centuries. Amongst all odds, he chased down 28 runs off five balls against Gujarat Titans (GT) to pull off a memorable chase in T20 tournament history. He continued to deliver for the Knight Riders throughout the season.

Overall, in T20s, Rinku has amassed 1768 runs in 89 games, including 10 half-centuries. He was last seen in action for Central Zone in Duleep Trophy, where he scored 40 off 30 balls against West Zone.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead India squad at 19th Asian Games; Rinku Singh included

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named Ruturaj Gaikwad as skipper for the 19th Asian Games. Besides Rinku, several top IPL performers earned a call-up to the national squad.

Team India (Senior Men) squad for 19th Asian Games: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wk).

Standby list of players: Yash Thakur, Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Sai Sudharsan.

It’s worth noting that the second-string side has been picked for the Asian Games since the senior men’s team will be busy for the 2023 ODI World Cup. The 50-over ICC tournament will be played in India from October 5 to November 19.