Harbhajan Singh Lauds Rinku Singh After Match-Winning Cameo

Rinku Singh earned praise from Harbhajan Singh after delivering an impactful knock in the Nagpur T20I against New Zealand.

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh praised Rinku Singh for a powerful finishing effort in the first T20I against New Zealand in Nagpur on January 21. Rinku hit 44 runs from 20 balls in India’s 48-run win.

Rinku entered in the 14th over after Shivam Dube fell for 9. He hit four fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 220. His late surge lifted India to 238/7.

The opportunity came after selectors dropped Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma late. Harbhajan highlighted Rinku’s work ethic and ability to deliver under pressure. The former cricketer noted that Rinku regularly maximises chances and adds impact whenever selected.

“Rinku Singh’s performance has to be praised, the poor guy got a chance after a long time, and he made the most of it. Every time he gets a chance, he is such a hard working player that he never lets the chance go. Whenever he plays, he wins hearts,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

Abhishek Sharma’s Selfless Approach Impresses Harbhajan

Harbhajan Singh also praised Abhishek Sharma for putting the team first during his knock. Abhishek smashed 84 runs from 35 balls, hitting five fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of 240.

Harbhajan highlighted Abhishek’s selfless mindset, noting that he chose to maintain aggression rather than slow down for personal milestones. During the innings, Abhishek also reached 5,000 T20 runs. He became the fastest batter to the milestone, achieving it in 2,898 deliveries, breaking Andre Russell’s previous record.

“Abhishek Sharma could have easily scored a hundred, but he said no. He said that he will continue to bat in the same explosive fashion, even if he gets out. This is the difference in the mentality. This is massive that he did not think about himself and thought about the team instead. The way he is batting now, whenever he scores a 50, Team India wins. He is a superstar, and the bowlers do not have any answers against him,” Harbhajan concluded.