Rinku Singh once again showed why many believe India have not used him enough in T20I cricket, and his brilliant innings against New Zealand in the opener of the five-match T20I series on January 21 has reignited a major debate over his role in the national team.
In the first T20I against New Zealand at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, Rinku Singh gave a powerful reminder of his finishing skills. Batting lower down the order, the 28-year-old scored 44 runs in just 20 balls against the Black Caps.
The late night attack on Rinku Singh in Nagpur has sparked a new debate.
His innings was full of intent and clean hitting, which included four fours and three sixes. The highlight came in the final over, where Rinku tore apart the Kiwi attack and scored 21 runs to take India to a massive score of 238/7 on the board in 20 overs.
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The score proved far out of reach for New Zealand as they struggled during the chase and eventually fell 48 runs short of the target, with the Indian team registering a resounding win in Nagpur. While Abhishek Sharma’s 84 and captain Suryakumar Yadav’s 32 were notable, Rinku’s late onslaught completely changed the momentum.
Simon Doull questions India’s use of Rinku Singh
After the Men in Blue took a 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-match T20 series against the Black Caps, former New Zealand player Simon Doull made a bold statement against the Indian think tank. He criticized India for not giving enough opportunities to Rinku in T20 cricket.
Since making her T20I debut in 2023, Rinku has played only 36 matches for India, and that number seems surprisingly low considering the impact she has made with the bat whenever she gets a chance in the format.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star was notably left out of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad, but he has now made the squad for the 2026 edition, and many including Doull are hopeful that the aggressive batsman will get a chance this time.
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He could have easily played 100 T20 matches by now: Simon Doull backs Rinku Singh as India’s finisher
The former New Zealand fast bowler feels India have not fully utilized a player with such rare finishing skills, adding that they now need to trust Rinku as their full-time finisher and give her a long run in the fastest format of the game without overthinking.
Doull insisted that Rinku has everything it takes to dominate the death overs in the format. He said that the left-handed batsman’s calm mentality, ability to withstand pressure and explosive power make him one of the most dangerous batsmen to bowl at the end of the innings.
Simon Doull was quoted by Star Sports as saying: “Rinku Singh is one of the best finishers in the game. We saw him explode in the IPL four or five years ago, and I still think he hasn’t played enough T20 cricket for India since then.”
He should have performed much more and could have easily played 100 games by now. Rinku needs to be supported in that last role because she is exceptional in it. Despite his height, he is incredibly powerful, and his ability to get under the ball in the death overs makes him extremely difficult to bowl to.
