Rinku Singh Admits Being Awestruck by Rohit Sharma’s Brilliance Against Pacers

Rohit Sharma holds several records, including the most runs in T20Is, the most sixes internationally, and a record three double-centuries in ODIs.

Rinku Singh Admits Being Awestruck by Rohit Sharma’s Brilliance Against Pacers

Rinku Singh talked about Rohit Sharma's explosive batting skills, in a match against Afghanistan in 2024. (via India Today)

Rinku Singh reflected on his famous 190-run fifth wicket stand with former captain Rohit Sharma, that rescued the Men in Blue from a precarious position against Afghanistan, in 2024. Rinku talked about Sharma’s extraordinary skills against pacers, which left him awestruck.

Rinku Singh and Rohit Sharma combined together to wreck havoc in the final T20I of a three-match series against Afghanistan at home, back in January 2024. Although India had already won the series, they aimed for a clean sweep in the third T20I, played in Bengaluru. Batting first, the Men in Blue lost four of the top five batters in the powerplay for a mere 22 runs. That’s when Rinku Singh came to the crease.

Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh then launched a stunning counterattack, forging a 190-run partnership off just 95 balls, with the Indian captain scoring an unbeaten 121-run knock off 69 balls, while Singh hit 69 off 39 balls.

This stand became India’s highest T20I partnership at the time, a record that was later broken by Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma. It also propelled the score to 212 runs, which Afghanistan managed to match, leading to a thrilling conclusion that India won in the second Super Over.

The thrilling India-Afghanistan contest left behind a lot of memories, as it marked Rinku Singh’s arrival as a middle-order aggressor, as well as Rohit Sharma’s last T20I hundred, before he retired from the format in June 2024. Revisiting the moment, the 27-year-old Uttar Pradesh batter, currently a part of India’s Asia Cup squad, explained why the Indian ODI captain can easily be regarded as one of the modern greats.

Speaking on Raj Shamani‘s YouTube podcast, Rinku Singh stated that the he and Sharma trusted their instincts and played naturally, without much on-field discussion. He further described how Rohit Sharma effortlessly hit the Afghan pacers, who were bowling at speeds of 145-150 kmph, showing his composure and brilliance. He also shared a more personal side of Rohit as a captain, noting that while the MI icon would get angry at player mistakes, he was otherwise very calm.

When I batted with Rohit [Sharma] bhaiya, the way he was hitting the ball, there’s definitely something special. No matter how fast the bowler is, it doesn’t affect him at all. These bowlers bowl so fast, at 150 kmph, it’s not that easy to hit them.

Nonetheless, Rinku Singh is now hoping to make a comeback, after having struggled with form since the past year, in the shortest format of the game. Rohit Sharma on the other hand, has retired from T20Is as the country’s all-time top-scorer, with 4,231 runs in 159 matches at an average of 32.05. 

Sanjay Manjrekar Excludes Rohit Sharma from All-Time Indian Batting Greats, Names Four Other Stars 

Ex-India opener-turned cricket commentator Sanjay Manjrekar surprisingly suggested that former captain Rohit Sharma is not an all-time Indian batting great. Rohit Sharma is still playing for India in ODIs, after having retired both from Tests and T20Is over the past year.

Rohit Sharma Sanjay Manjrekar great
Sanjay Manjrekar did not pick Rohit Sharma among the all-time Indian batting greats. (via Mint)

Speaking on the Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Sanjay Manjrekar was asked to pick his four choices for the all-time Indian batting greats. The 60-year-old did not hesitate in first picking Sunil Gavaskar, followed by Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rahul Dravid. Manjrekar surprisingly claimed that Rohit Sharma does not fit into this list, despite being an exceptional batter throughout his career.

The ex-India cricketer praised Rohit for his selfless leadership, but argued that Rohit does not fit into the list because the criteria he used gave more weight to performance in red-ball cricket. Keeping Manjrekar’s comments aside, the 38-year-old is undoubtedly to make his name among the all-time Indian batting legends. Sharma is fourth on the list of all-time top-scorers for India, with 19,700 runs in 499 matches.

Rohit Sharma does not fit in the all-time Indian batting great list. When you talk of all-time batting greats, Test cricket holds more weightage, I don’t think he made a big impact in that format.

Furthermore, Rohit Sharma is one of the country’s most successful skippers, having guided the team to two consecutive ICC titles since 2024. Under Rohit Sharma’s remarkable leadership, the Men in Blue lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup, and most recently, the 2025 Champions Trophy. 

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