Vikram Rathour, former batting coach of the Indian team, spoke in a recent interview about Indian cricket and the transitional phase that the team will soon be entering. Gautam Gambhir will take over as the head coach from the series against Zimbabwe. He is keen on building his own support team during his tenure.
Vikram’s tenure came to an end after the 2024 T20 World Cup, which India won. He was the team’s batting coach during Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach and hence, has seen the team’s ups and downs from close quarters.
He has also seen several talented batsmen emerge in the last two-three years. Many of them have staked their claim to play for India for the next decade. After the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from T20Is, Rathour has groomed several batsmen to take up the responsibility of scoring runs in the format.
One of them is Rinku Singh, who is the designated finisher for this young Indian team. He scored 60 runs in the series against Zimbabwe batting at either the fifth or sixth position and with over 176. Meanwhile, he hit six sixes, which shows his prowess with the bat.
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Rathour, in his interview with PTI, spoke about Rinku Singh’s good domestic career and hence his future in Test cricket. In first-class cricket, he averages 54.70 and in List A cricket, he averages 48.69. In T20Is, in his first 20 matches, he has maintained an average of 83.20 and a strike rate that is close to 180. Rathour backed the youngster to play Test cricket for India in the future.
Vikram Rathour: I don’t understand why Rinku Singh can’t be a successful Test batsman
“When I watch him (Rinku) bat in the nets, I can’t find any technical reason why Rinku can’t be a successful batsman in Tests. I understand that he has made a name for himself as a great finisher in T20 cricket, but if you look at his first-class record, he is averaging around 50,” Vikram Rathour said.
He further said that Rinku Singh has a very calm temperament which is necessary for playing Test cricket.
“He (Rinku) is also blessed with a very calm temperament. So, all these factors indicate that if given a chance, he can become a Test cricketer,” Rathour added about Rinku.
The youngster has already cemented his place in the T20I squad. He has already hit 26 sixes and 33 fours in his short T20I career. He is also a big asset in the field. He has athletic attributes in the field. He took six catches in the series against Zimbabwe, taking his tally to 13 catches in the T20I format.
Rinku was awarded the best fielder of the series against Zimbabwe. He survived an injury in the last T20I but quickly returned to the field.
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