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Team India southpaw Rinku Singh lit up the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou with his 15-ball 37-run cameo during the Asian Games 2023 quarter-final against Nepal on Tuesday.
He ventured out to bat following the dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the 17th over. The run flow had dried up as Nepal struck at regular intervals after claiming their first wicket in the 10th over. India were placed at 150-4 with 22 balls to spare and the two left-handed batters - Shivam Dube and Rinku - put on 52 runs for the fifth wicket.
Rinku got into the groove early with a mammoth straight six down the ground. After settling down with seven runs off his first seven deliveries, he switched gears to hit a six in the penultimate over as well.
He saved the best for last, scoring three consecutive boundaries off the first three deliveries off the final over. The left-handed batter pinch hitter had one more strike left in him, which he used in the penultimate ball of the innings to help India touch the 200-run mark.
Watch his magnificent display, right here:
Shivam Dube also shrugged off his sluggish start to end up with an unbeaten 25-run knock off 19 deliveries.
Rinku Singh showcased his ability to get going from the word go during the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season as well. He was Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) leading run-scorer in the campaign, which led to a maiden senior team call-up for the tour of Ireland. The youngster scored a quickfire 38 runs off 21 deliveries in the second T20I.
Rinku Singh's cameo comes in a winning cause as India qualify for the semi-finals
Yashasvi Jaiswal's hundred and Rinku Singh's cameo were the key takeaways for Team India in the first innings of the quarter-final encounter against Nepal. The chasing side put up a decent fight in the second innings but fell short by 23 runs to gracefully exit the competition.
The Men in Blue will have to wait to discover their semi-final opponents. The other sides that will participate in the quarter-finals are Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Will the in-form player find a place in Team India's squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup? Let us know what you think.
