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Rinku Singh scored a spectacular 48* off 21 balls in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday, April 9, and was hailed abundantly for his heroics. While Rinku deserved all the plaudits, a lot of fans also compared his special innings to the epic one played by Virat Kohli in the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) last year.
In a pulsating encounter that also went down to the last ball, Kohli slammed an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls as Team India chased down a target of 160. At one point, it seemed that the game had slipped out of the Men in Blue’s grasp. However, that’s not the similarity between Kohli and Rinku’s knocks that left Indian fans amazed.
In both instances, the chasing side needed 48 runs to win off the last three overs. At the MCG, Kohli slammed Shaheen Afridi for three fours in the 18th over and whacked consecutive sixes off Haris Rauf in the penultimate over. The former India captain managed a six in the last over as well bowled by Mohammad Nawaz before a single by Ravichandran Ashwin off the last ball lifted India to a famous win.
Speaking of Sunday’s IPL 2023 clash between KKR and GT, Rinku was watchful in the 18th over bowled by Mohammed Shami. In the penultimate over against Joshua Little, he slammed the last two balls for six and four, respectively.
Needing 28 off the last five balls, the left-hander then went on a rampage, clubbing Gujarat left-arm pacer Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes.
“Rinku played unbelievable shots” - Rashid Khan
Gujarat were without regular skipper Hardik Pandya for the match. In his absence, Rashid Khan stepped in and even claimed a hat trick. However, his efforts went in vain as Rinku won the last-over battle against Dayal.
Asked about the bowler’s plans for the last over and Rinku’s knock, Rashid said:
“It was more about what he is most comfortable with, to trust his plans. Rinku played unbelievable shots and credit goes to him for the way he played and for the way he finished.”
Asked if the defeat would hurt Gujarat, he asserted:
“Definitely not. Chin up and keep smiling and we come back stronger and stronger. Good learning for me as a player and as a captain.”
Chasing 205, Venkatesh Iyer (83) and Nitish Rana (45) added 100 for the third wicket before Rinku came in and played a blinder.
