Rinku Singh reminded everyone why he is one of India’s most dangerous finishers, smashing a maiden T20 hundred to script a miraculous chase for Meerut Mavericks in the UP T20 League.
Rinku smashed a blazing maiden T20 hundred to single-handedly power his side past Gaur Gorakhpur Lions’ 168-run target at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
Meerut’s reply looked doomed early. Reduced to 38 for 4 in the 8th over, the chase seemed all but over. But skipper Rinku stood tall, scripting a counterattack of the highest quality alongside Sahab Yuvraj (22* off 22).
The left-hander went berserk, hammering 108 not out off just 48 balls, decorated with 7 fours and 8 towering sixes. Five of those sixes came in his final six deliveries, as he tore apart Abdul Rehman and Vasu Vats in the closing overs to seal the win with an over to spare.
For Rinku, this knock couldn’t have come at a better time. The hundred — his first in T20 cricket — arrives amid growing doubts over his spot in India’s Asia Cup squad following a string of lean outings.
The contrast in his international journey so far is striking. Rinku’s entry into T20Is was a dream: until the Bangladesh series last year, he had piled up 479 runs in 19 innings at an astonishing average of 59.87 and a strike rate of 175.45, including three fifties. At the time, everything he touched turned to gold.
But since then, the slump has been brutal. In India’s last two bilateral T20I series against South Africa and England, he scraped together only 67 runs in seven games — averaging just 13.40 with a strike rate of 101.51. The South Africa tour was especially forgettable, where he managed 28 runs at 9.33 while striking at a dismal 82.35.
A major factor in Rinku’s slump, many believe, was his shifting role at Kolkata Knight Riders, where limited opportunities sapped his confidence and disrupted his rhythm. That dip carried into his India outings.
Now, fans see this hundred as the spark he needs to rediscover his best. After warming the bench through the T20 World Cup 2024, they’ll be desperate for him to grab his Asia Cup chance — and avoid a repeat of that frustrating fate.
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