Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim believes Rinku Singh should open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma in the T20I series against Bangladesh, starting on October 6 in Gwalior.
Karim believes Rinku Singh is a complete player and should be given more opportunities to express himself. Rinku has batted primarily in the middle or lower order throughout his career for India, as well as for their IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders.
His numbers at 6 or 7 as a finisher are exceptional. But there are some cases where it doesn’t even get a chance to impact due to the lesser number of balls it faces. However, he has immense talent and great ability to hit anywhere.
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Saba Karim wants Rinku Singh to open the batting for India
During a discussion at Jio Cinema, Karim said that Rinku Singh should open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma in the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh. Karim feels that Rinku does not have enough balls to contend with in the lower order and can be more valuable if he moves up the order.
“There is a strong possibility that we will see Rinku Singh along with Abhishek Sharma (open for India). Whatever opportunities Rinku has had so far in this side, he is at number six or seven, and he hardly has the balls to get it . in…Rinku, of course, is a pretty complete player,” said Saba Karim.
“If he has more opportunities, if he has more deliveries to deal with, he can add more value to the team. So there is a great possibility of having that combination,” he added.
In IPL 2024, KKR won the title, but Rinku Singh did not have a particularly good season with the bat. This was due to the lower number of no. of balls he had to face to create a significant impact.
Rinku Singh’s numbers in international cricket
Rinku Singh is seen as a designated finisher in the team as he has been very successful in this role in the IPL as well. The 26-year-old has excellent numbers in international cricket. He has played 23 T20Is so far and scored 418 runs at an excellent average of 59.71 and strike rate of 174.16.
Another reason why Rinku could move up the order is that India has selected only one designated opener in the squad for the Bangladesh T20Is – Abhishek Sharma. As of now, Sanju Samson seems to be the favorite for the role, but Rinku may also be promoted.
The 15-member Indian team will be led by Suryakumar Yadav and has some interesting faces like Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy. The three T20Is will be played on October 6, 9 and 12 in Gwalior, Delhi and Hyderabad respectively.