Rinku Singh was absolutely on fire in the second T20I against South Africa on Tuesday, December 12 at Gqeberha, smashing his first fifty for India. Rinku, who had been aiming for his first half-century in blues for several months, eventually got it in seven innings in T20Is and it came at a crucial time for the Indian team.
India got into early trouble after being put to bat, losing both of their openers, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, inside the second over. With a quick partnership, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma saved the innings, and in the powerplay itself, Rinku reached the crease. Rinku had to suppress his instincts for a couple of overs before going berserk and he followed the plan as he and Surya made South Africa pay.
Rinku smacked a massive one over long-on and then smashed a straight one, like an arrow, not letting Aiden Markram get through his over. The second one, on the 19th over’s last ball, damaged the media box glass, causing a crack. Rajal Arora, a member of the BCCI’s media staff, posted a photo of the impact the media box glass took after Rinku hit 68 off 39 balls.
That Rinku SIX just landed in the media box. pic.twitter.com/fwAXKUUvD1
— Rajal Arora (@RajalArora) December 12, 2023
#AidenMarkram brought himself on in the penultimate over, and #RinkuSingh made him pay with back-to-back maximums 🔥
Rinku has brought his A-game to South Africa!
Tune-in to the 2nd #SAvIND T20I
LIVE NOW | Star Sports Network#Cricket pic.twitter.com/HiibVjyuZH— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 12, 2023
Rain interrupted play in the last over after Rinku failed to get a strike in the first three balls. Gerald Coetzee, a pacer for South Africa, was unfortunate to be able to bowl the hat-trick ball, but he would be happy that his side won in the end because the Proteas batsmen easily chased the DLS adjusted target of 152.