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Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh - who has spent some time in the Kolkata Knight Riders dressing room - believes Rinku Singh's growth story will help him earn the elusive India cap soon.
Speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live, Harbhajan Singh said, "That India cap is not far away from Rinku's head. He's such an inspirational player. He's run all the hard yards and worked very hard to get to where he is today. Full credit to him for having that belief in himself. His journey is a life lesson and all young kids should learn from him." In 11 matches, Rinku has scored 337 runs at an average of 56.16 and a strike rate of 151.12. He has scored two half-centuries this season, with best score of 58*. Though he has been a reliable star for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, hitting Gujarat Titans' pacer Yash Dayal for five successive sixes in the final over to chase down 205 pushed Rinku to cricketing stardom, just like IPL has done for numerous cricketers over the years. Amid all openers and top-order batters occupying the top 15 positions in the batting charts, he is the only middle-order batter. The rivalry week continues to live up to the hype with every passing game. It is delivering some of the most intense and exciting matches between the greatest rivals in the history of IPL. Fans are also getting to witness the rivalry between teams from the North and South as some of the biggest teams from the two regions are going against one another to pick up two crucial points as the tournament is approaching its business end. Most of the teams are still within reach of the playoffs spot, making this edition one of the most closely fought contests in the 15 years of the tournament. In the next game of the Rivalry Week, Rajasthan Royals travel east to take on a resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The performance of Sanju Samson-led Royals' have lost four of their last five games and a loss against KKR will dent their playoff prospects. While Nitish Rana-led KKR has returned on the winning track amidst the traffic jam at the centre of the points table. Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has also praised KKR star batter Rinku Singh for taking his game to the next level with his maturity in IPL 2023. Speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live, Kaif said, "Rinku Singh has that maturity. His footwork is very good and he looks to rotate strikes as well. Rinku knows how to convert his form into good knocks and also knows when to shift gears. He is capable of hitting big shots as well." (ANI)
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