Durban, Dec 9 (IANS): India’s middle-order batter Rinku Singh said head coach Rahul Dravid has told him to stick to his style of play in the shortest format and place trust on the processes which have fetched him success so far in his early days in T20Is.
Rinku recently played a decisive role as a finisher in India’s recent 4-1 series win over Australia at home and is expected to play the same role in the T20Is against South Africa happening on December 10, 12 and 14, in Durban, Gqebera and Johannesburg respectively, as the visitors’ continue their preparation for 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, to be hosted by West Indies and USA.
"The weather is beautiful here. We went for a walk after coming here and then I went into the nets. This was the first time that I trained under Rahul Dravid and it was a great feeling. He told me to stick to what I was doing and trust my process. Dravid sir told me that it was tough to play at number five, but told me to push myself and have faith in my abilities," said Rinku in a video posted on bcci.tv.
He further talked about how he’s made himself familiar and managed to be calm while batting at number five or six spot in T20 games. "I have been playing for UP since 2013 at number five or six. So, I have got used to that position.”
“I keep backing myself to play in that position because it is very tough to play in that position if four-five wickets are down and then you have to build a partnership. So I keep telling myself, the more I can keep my calm and continue to have that belief, the better it is (for me), and not to react quickly.”
The series will be Rinku’s first tryst of playing cricket in South Africa and asked about the conditions, he said, "There is extra bounce in South Africa after batting here in the nets. You don't get this much bounce in India, it is quite quick as well. I would look to use the pace."
Rinku, the left-handed batter, also emphasised on the importance of spending time with team-mates and taking care of fitness in the sport. "We five-six players remain in a group. Me, Ravi (Bishnoi), Arshdeep (Singh), Avesh (Khan), Jitesh (Sharma) and will have dinner with Kuldeep (Yadav).”
“We enjoy each other's company, which is very important in cricket. I used to take care of my fitness and fast running levels from the starting days and as you grow in the sport, its important to take care of your fitness."