After Kolkata Knight Riders defeated the Punjab Kings by five wickets in the 53rd match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 8, Andre Russell got mesmerized by the batting of Rinku Singh and showered praises for him. Rinku remained unbeaten on 21 off 10 balls as KKR successfully chased down 180 runs, securing their position at No. 5 in the points table.
While praising Rinku Singh Russell stated that he doesn’t feel worried when Rinku is at the crease with him in the middle. After Nitish Rana was dismissed, KKR found themselves in a difficult situation, but Rinku and Russell put on 54 runs for the fifth wicket to lead the team to victory.
After Andre Russell went to the Pavilion being run out in the last over, Rinku smashed a four against Arshdeep Singh in the final ball of the match to clinch the win for the Knights.
Talking after the match about Rinku Singh, Andre Russell said,”When you have Rinku at the other end, I’m not worried whether I take a single or…. He said, ‘Russ, what if the ball beat you, should we go for it?’ I said, ‘Yes, sure!’ because I have confidence in him and the angle coming into him as well is a little easier because the ball was tailing away from me. [Arshdeep] was nailing his yorkers wide… So I’m happy.”
Andre Russell expressed his pride in seeing Rinku bat with maturity, particularly in high-pressure situations during run-chases.
“I get goosebumps seeing him doing what he’s doing now and I have company in the back end of this franchise. It’s not just me and pressure on me. If I get a single, I know what he can do. He’s been here for years and he’s worked his way to where he is right now and he still has so much more to give. Very disciplined guy, hard-working and he’s the funniest guy in the team. So you can’t have a dull moment around Rinku. I always try to be close to him in the changing room. He tries to be tough but we are good friends,” he added.
