“I had a chat with Mahi bhai,” Rinku Singh reveals advice from MS Dhoni that helps him finish matches

Having earned the reputation of a cool-headed finisher, Singh revealed how MS Dhoni’s advice helped him stay calm during tense moments of the game.

“I had a chat with Mahi bhai,” Rinku Singh reveals advice from MS Dhoni that helps him finish matches

Kolkata Knight Rider’s (KKR) Rinku Singh had his best-ever outing in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the sixteenth edition of the tournament. Rinku scored 474 runs in the 14 matches he played for KKR in IPL 2023. Not the number of runs but the pace and the situations they came in mattered more. Rinku struck at 149.53 in IPL 2023. 

His best knock of the season came in KKR’s last league game, against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wherein Rinku scored a 33-ball 67* and kept his team alive till the very end. Although KKR lost the game by a solitary run, Rinku earned all the praise for his valiant knock. Now, as KKR stand eliminated and the UP cricketer is headed back home, he talked about his journey in IPL 2023. 

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Rinku talked about every aspect of his batting, especially his finishing abilities. Having earned the reputation of a cool-headed finisher, Singh revealed how MS Dhoni’s advice helped him stay calm during tense moments of the game. The KKR batter revealed that MS Dhoni advised him to let bowlers do their bit and also suggested he plays shots in front of the wicket.

Related: Chris Gayle expects a bigger paycheque for KKR’s  best performer Rinku Singh in IPL 2024

“I have got used to this. During the CSK game I had a chat with Mahi bhai (Dhoni) on how to handle the close finishes. He said ‘Let the bowler do what he wants, you stand and focus on finishing’,” revealed Rinku in chat with Cricbizz. 

“I don’t look for innovations and try to play to my strengths. I always remember what Mahi bhai had advised which was ‘if you look to play straight, it would be better’,” Rinku added. 

Who is Rinku Singh’s idol?

suresh raina rinku singh

While Rinku Singh shares a lot of respect for the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, the UP cricketer idolizes none other than another southpaw from his state, Suresh Raina. When Rinku was asked if he has modelled himself on any batsman, the KKR batter was quick to take Raina’s name. 

“I follow Suresh Raina bhai. He is my idol. Because of him I started playing cricket,” said Rinku. Notably, Rinku hails from the Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh while Suresh Raina was born in Muradnagar, 132 km from Rinku’s hometown. 

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