The date was April 14 and the time was running out.
It was the penultimate over of the second innings of the IPL 2023’s game number nineteen.
The venue could not have been any possibly bigger. And the situation couldn’t have been more tense.
Eden Gardens was witnessing a belter, a thriller that could very much have gone anyway with the way Kolkata’s main man was on the job.
This was no ordinary batter; rather a finisher whose rise much of the cricket devoted world has been delighted to see.
But just when T. Natarajan was about to finish what had not been a terrible over, the man on strike hit it powerfully although not far enough.
Stationed for the catching duties in the outfield was Glenn Phillips, amongst the safest pair of hands you’d want to see patrolling the key boundary area.
But this time, a sitter was grassed. Resultantly, the ball crossed the fence after a bounce.
Thankfully, after a bounce else it would’ve resulted in a six.
And while it didn’t bring about any massive sigh of relief to the chasing team, that man who’s become the cynosure of the IPL world, brought up a 27-ball- fifty.
It was his second on the trot.
You don’t become a critical component of an IPL game and have millions of eyeballs follow every tiny movement of your bat just like that.
Well, that sort of thing doesn’t happen on its own especially when those around are you names like Markram, Rana, Russell, Klaasen and the likes.
But despite touching a milestone, Rinku Singh, if you paid attention, hadn’t raised his bat. There were no celebrations.
He wasn’t jumping around. The job wasn’t yet over.
That’s despite stroking another crucial fifty akin to a fire-breathing predator who knew his appetite and wanted to get more done.
Except it didn’t happen on April 14.
And yet, with 30 needed off the final six, Rinku Singh was able to hook a rapid one from Umran over fine leg for a six.
And that was that. Plenty of trying, but in vain.
What was fascinating and heartening, however, was that in the post-match ceremony, the big hitting leftie’s captain Nitish Rana admitted that he was content and had no complaints as such with the way his team batted and with the way Rinku scored again.
Surely, one can hit three massive sixes in a nervous, nail biting final over finish. Some can hit even 4. Carlos Brathwaite proved one could do so and that too, in the tense as hell final of a T20 World Cup.
Just that, habitual of leaving audiences stunned, Rinku Singh went one better and not too long ago when he completely thrashed Gujarat Titans single handedly in hitting 5 mega sixes.
In so doing, he became a household name.
It’s been exactly a week since Rinku Singh’s punishing performance wrecked Gujarat Titans and seemingly caused a dent that Yash Dayal, the sufferer of that final over may never recover from.
But the world hasn’t stopped gushing about the new IPL hero.
For he really is a hero.
For the record, Rinku Singh hasn’t made a century in the IPL. He’s not someone who’s been the recipient of noteworthy tweets or received enthusiastic praise by any of India’s senior legends prior to the start of his IPL career.
He’s not even made it to the national side yet and nothing can ever be said about the future with resounding confidence.
But given cricketing success was least of the possibilities in Rinku Singh’s life, a life that was very much an existence since he knew nothing of financial stability or the comforts it could afford, that he’s a popular name in the game today is remarkable.
It’s inspiring.
It’s stuff you see Bollywood movies being based upon.
The boy who made it big but one who had no money, nothing going for him except that humongous passion for the game.
Today, imagining the Kolkata Knight Riders without the powerful presence of its dainty left hander is indeed a difficult proposition.
Rinku Singh’s bashful way of treating the bowlers and that devil may care persona as a batsman especially in a run chase has inspired one of IPL’s newest success stories.
Moreover, that as a batsman he doesn’t hold himself back and backs himself to go for the big shots despite the obvious involvement of risk has endeared him to a new generation of cricket fans.
The risk takers. The adventurists. The thrill seekers.
These are fans who live for the day. Fans who understand that T20 is the major buck spinner of this age and Rinku Singh its current trump card, albeit one that is in the works to go the long way.
Rinku Singh also brings a refreshingly simple and modest presence to the game thus placing batting over and above the histrionics that surround the game.
He doesn’t need the hype. An Insta reel with stunning filters won’t do it for him. His brave batting and audacious strokeplay will.
In an age where nicknames are common and social media avatars the big crowd puller, Rinku Singh merely depends on his pulls and lofted stroke play to draw crowds closer to the game.
For now, he’s close to our hearts and his see-the-ball, hit-the-ball approach has endeared him to countless admirers.
But, he must remember not to be a one series sensation and that, while the IPL does nurse several crushes on those who play thunderous innings on one odd day, in order to become its permanent romantic interest, Rinku Singh must go on and on.