India's Rinku Singh gears up to tackle South African pitches, crucial batting positions in T20 series (WATCH)
India will play the first of their three T20Is against South Africa in Durban on Sunday and Rinku Singh is expected to bat at the crucial No. 5 or No. 6 position.
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FollowIndia's middle-order batsman, Rinku Singh, expressed that adapting to the additional pace and bounce present on South African pitches will require additional effort and practice. Following India's initial practice session in Durban, Rinku, a key player in India's recent victory in the five-match T20I series against Australia, shared his observations about the conditions, stating, "When I battered here today, there was extra bounce here compared to Indian wickets."
"The pace is a bit more, so will practice against pace bowling," he added.
In the upcoming T20 series against South Africa, India is set to play their first match in Durban on Sunday, with Rinku likely to take on the pivotal No. 5 or No. 6 batting position. Rinku mentioned that head coach Rahul Dravid has advised him to stick to his natural game and occupy either the No. 5 or No. 6 spot in the batting order.
"The first practice session, I enjoyed it a lot because of the fine wether. Getting the opportunity to work with Rahul Dravid sir, so that was a good feeling. He told me to continue playing the way I do and continue believing in myself," Rinku told BCCI.tv.
"(He told me) to keep playing at No. 5 or 6. It is tough to play in that position, but keep pushing yourself and believe in yourself."
Having held the responsibility of batting in the crucial positions since 2013, the power-hitter from Uttar Pradesh emphasized that this experience has instilled in him the confidence to fulfill a similar role for the Indian team.
"I have been playing for UP since 2013 at No. 5 or 6. So, I have got used to that position. I keep backing myself to play in that position because it is very tough to play in that position if 4-5 wickets are down," Rinku said.
"Then you have to build a partnership. So I keep telling myself, the more I can keep myself calm, the better it is (for me), and not to react," said Rinku.
"We 4-5 players remain in a group. Me, Ravi (Bishnoi), Arshdeep (Singh), Avesh (Khan), Jitesh (Sharma). We enjoy each other's company, which is very important in cricket."
He underscored the importance of maintaining fitness to excel in the sport of cricket.
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