Rinku Singh, the India and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter, recently addressed a viral video showing him asking Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star Virat Kohli for his bat ahead of their IPL 2024 clash. Rinku revealed that he had accidentally damaged the bat that Kohli had gifted him. While explaining the incident, Kohli clarified that he wasn’t in the mood to give him another bat.
Speaking to News 24, Rinku recalled the incident, saying that the viral video didn’t put him in a good light.
“(Main thoda zyada badnaam ho gaya tha) I had become a little too infamous because of the bat. I used to meet him (Kohli) normally and then asked for a bat. The cameraman would follow me. It wasn’t being perceived well. It wasn’t good for me or for bhaiya (Kohli) either, as videos of the bat were going viral,” said Rinku.
Rinku also shared that during the IPL 2024 season, he had borrowed bats from other cricket legends, including MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
“This time, I wasn’t seen with Virat Bhai (in IPL 2024). I took Mahi Bhai’s (MS Dhoni’s) bat this time, and also Rohit (Rohit Sharma) Bhai’s bat. It’s a really big deal for me because getting bats from such big players is a huge thing,” he added.
Rinku Singh has been named in India’s squad for the Asia Cup. However, his career has dipped since he missed out on the T20 World Cup, where he was only a standby player.
In IPL 2024, Rinku had a quiet season, facing just 113 balls. This suggested that his role in the team had been reduced. Gautam Gambhir, who was KKR’s mentor and chief strategist that year, used Rinku sparingly. The Aligarh southpaw had limited opportunities in Gambhir’s plans.
With heavy competition for every batting spot, it is unclear whether Rinku will be an automatic choice for India in the T20 World Cup, scheduled in India and Sri Lanka early next year.
The post “Every opportunity…”: Rinku Singh reacts amid viral bat incident and quiet IPL season appeared first on Cricket Country.
