IPL 2023: Rinku Singh has been KKR's game-changer this season and is unfortunate to have missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, LSG head coach Angy Flower has dubbed him a "good package" and a potential Team India prospect.
Rinku Singh is a "good package' with his ice-cool demeanour and hunger for success, making him a potential India candidate, feels Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) coach Andy Flower. The 25-year-old was the sole bright spot of two-time former champion Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) topsy-turvy season as they bowed out of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 with a one-run loss to LSG at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
"Rinku played out of his skin again to get them that close, didn't he? We were really in a good situation, but if they had won it from there it would have been genuinely astounding," Flower said in the post-match media interaction. The ICC T20 World Cup and Ashes-winning former England coach further said Rinku has got "future".
"He looks like a physically talented guy. He also looks like he is hungry for success and humble at the same time and confident of what can he do -- it's a really good package. There's so much batting talent in the country. He is showing that he can do it under pressure, that's a key aspect of playing international cricket. I think he's got a future," the 55-year-old added.
Chasing 177, KKR was in dire straits with 136/7 after 18 overs but Rinku nearly pulled off yet another miraculous win with his 33-ball 67 not out, but only to miss by one run in a last-ball thriller. Rinku needed three sixes off the last three balls. It was a situation similar to that of their dramatic win against defending champion Gujarat Titans earlier this season when Rinku smashed five sixes in a row to pull off a heist.
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But this time, he managed two sixes while the other, in the penultimate ball, turned out to be a four as KKR lost by the narrowest of margins. "He [Rinku] batted beautifully. It was a matter of not making an obvious error in those last few overs. But, Naveen [ul Haq] and Yash [Thakur] did quite a tough job bowling multiple overs in a row at the death. But, they came through in the end. Both have been brilliant this season," Flower continued.
(With inputs from PTI)