Credit: BCCI/IPL
Having made it to headlines by smashing five sixes in the last over and helping the team register victory over the reigning champions Gujarat Titans, earlier this season, KKR star Rinku Singh pulled off yet another last-ball heroic against Punjab Kings. KKR’s premier all-rounder Andre Russell is happy to see Rinku perform and said that he feels confident to have Rinku on the other end.
When the team needed two runs on the last ball of the match, Rinku Singh emerged as a ray of hope and hit a boundary off Arshdeep Singh’s delivery to register a five-wicket victory for his team at Eden Gardens on Monday, May 8.
After the team’s five-wicket win over the Shikhar Dhawan-led side, Russell said Rinku is a fearless player and has a shot to counter all kinds of deliveries. He said, "Definitely in any other game, with any other batter I'm not sure if I’d have run. I’ve never really done these things before. I would back myself to bat till the last delivery and get the job done. But when you have a batter like Rinku at the other end and who has been successful in the last few games for us, I was definitely confident."
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He further added, "He is just a fearless player, wherever you bowl he has a shot to counter that. I told him we need you and we need you at this point, he said ‘big man no worries’, so happy days."
Russell went to give a piece of advice to the 25-year-old and said, "It’s been going good for him, so I’ve been encouraging him whenever I get a chance to talk to him to stay humble. It does not matter how many people are shouting Russell, Russell, I always stayed humble because when it gets into your head, that’s when you start to lose it."
Speaking of the game, Russell, who has returned to form, smashed a 23-ball 42 and combined for a 54-run partnership with Rinku but failed to finish the game and was run out in a last-over drama. Arshdeep bowled five fine deliveries to give only four runs and dismissed Russell on the fifth ball. With two runs needed on the last ball, Rinku smashed a boundary, marking another victory for the team to advance to the fifth spot of the points table. KKR will now clash against Rajasthan Royals on May 11, Thursday in another home game.