Rinku Singh, an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup winner, has represented India in T20Is and a few ODIs, and harbours ambitions of playing Test cricket. Speaking to JioStar ahead of India’s home season, Rinku Singh shared his thoughts on being viewed solely as a T20 player, his hopes of seeing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play in and win the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, and his ambitions in captaincy.
Rinku Singh expressed his desire to see Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma lift the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 title:
“They are legends, both Virat bhaiya and Rohit bhaiya. Not just me, but the entire nation hopes that they play in the World Cup and are part of the team that goes on to win it. It would be a huge moment for the whole country, as who knows, it could be their last World Cup. So, it would be huge if they can win it for India. It would be huge for them as well, because we haven’t won the World Cup in a long time. We last won it in 2011. So, we hope both of them are with the team, and that they lift that trophy.”
On wanting to be known for more than just his TATA IPL five-sixes feat:
“Right now, people know me for hitting those five sixes in one over. What’s on my mind right now is that I want to win the World Cup for Team India, being part of the team, contributing with the bat and helping India win the World Cup. I want people to know me more for that, rather than just the five sixes.”
On his red-ball ambitions:
“There’s a bit of that perception that I’m just a one-format player. But you can look at my average in domestic cricket, whether it’s in one-dayers or four-day matches. I have a dream of playing Test cricket for India as well. So, people shouldn’t view me as a single-format player. I can play all three formats, and I do play all three formats in domestic cricket. But for India, I play only one format at the moment.”
On growing into a leadership role:
“I’m still growing as far as captaincy is concerned. I’m captaining in the UP League, and I became champion with my team. Last season, I was the vice-captain in the IPL. So, I’m learning the ropes of captaincy, a bit from Ajju bhai (Ajinkya Rahane) at KKR and from many others. I played a lot with Surya bhai, so I kept observing him in the Indian team for two years and watching how he leads. I’m working on my leadership skills, and hopefully, something good is in store for me in captaincy.”
On his journey:
“When I look back at where I began, I didn’t have much, and now I’ve reached here. That keeps running through my mind, the fact that there was a time when I had nothing, no money. Whenever I do something good, I think back to where I was and how far I have come from there. It’s all God’s blessing. So, I keep looking back at how far I have come.”
