‘My father didn’t eat for 2-3 days’- Rinku Singh recalls the most difficult phase in his cricketing career

Kolkata played their last league stage match against Lucknow on Thursday. The bowlers had a forgettable outing as they conceded 210 runs in the first innings. However, Kolkata fought hard with the bat and took the game till the very last ball of the match. The likes of Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer and Sam Billings all made crucial contributions. However, the one who won hearts was left-handed batter, Rinku Singh.

He played an outstanding knock of 40 runs in just 15 balls. Needing 21 runs in the final over, Rinku Singh smashed Marcus Stoinis two sixes and a four to brought the equation down to 3 runs needed off 2 balls. However, the Kolkata batter got out on the penultimate delivery, which led to the team losing the game by 2 runs.

Despite the loss, Rinku Singh received plaudits from around the globe for his superlative knock. The 24-year-old batter has been around with the franchise for many years now but has come to prominence in the ongoing edition. Recently, the Kolkata batter opened up on his struggles that he has been through during his career.

He recalled the time when he wasn’t getting a lot of opportunities to showcase his talent. And, injuries in the process didn’t help his cause either. Rinku Singh revealed how tough life had been for him for the last five years but his belief in himself kept him going.

“Those five years were really tough for me. After the first year, when I was picked for KKR and I got a chance to play, I couldn’t perform well. Still, KKR trusted me a lot and they retained me for the next couple of seasons,” he said in a video shared by the franchise.

“I trained hard the way my body language is. The team never thought I was down. Last year was quite tough for me as I got a knee injury during the Vijay Hazare Trophy while running a double. The moment I fell, I thought of the IPL. They told me I needed an operation and would require 6-7 months to recover,” he stated.

“I wasn’t happy staying away from cricket for so long. My father didn’t eat for 2-3 days. I told him it was just an injury and it’s part of cricket. I’m the sole breadwinner of my life and when such things happen, it is bound to be worrisome. I was a bit sad, but I knew I would recover quickly as I had a lot of self-belief,” he further added.

In the ongoing seasons, Rinku played 7 matches and scored 174 runs at a strike rate of 148.72.