Rinku Singh’s rags to five-star hotels story and his powerful performances with the bat captured the imagination of fans at this year’s IPL. Now Singh gets a chance to wear the India blue shirt when the team tours Ireland for a series involving three T20Is.
As assistant coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Abhishek Nayar has seen Singh up close, and he believes he needs to be given a long rope as he’d need some time to settle in the team, and also keeping in mind his ability to wreak havoc at No. 6.
"There's a possibility that he may take a little more time (to adapt to international cricket), you know, because of his upbringing. But he is a terrific player. Anyone who averages 60 in First-Class cricket, 50 in List A and 30 in T20 is a terrific player," Nayar told PTI.
There were not many left-handed options with the kind of ability that Singh has, Nayar said. "So, I would love to have a long rope for him and, hopefully, the selectors will keep faith in him. Rinku is also someone who will add so much value to the team with his overall attitude,” the former Mumbai allrounder said.
Another player who could play a crucial role was Venkatesh Iyer, feels Nayar. Iyer could be the second allrounder along with Hardik Pandya.
"Unfortunately, he suffered an injury last year. In terms of the future, he is a very versatile player. You've seen him bat up the order, down the order and he can give you some overs as well,” Nayar said.
"He's someone who can adapt very quickly because of the amount of intelligence and smartness he possesses.”
Being included as a standby for the Asian Games would aid Iyer’s confidence, said Nayar.
"It's all about feeling part of that team environment. I feel he is on an upward curve as a cricketer. He's at that phase where, he needs to just keep going and just keep believing in his art all over again.”
As for Shubman Gill’s less than sublime run in the West Indies, Nayar said the Indian star would become the wiser for it.
"He's playing in the West Indies, not the easiest of conditions for batting … low-scoring games. This experience is going to make him better. I think he's going to have a terrific World Cup," Nayar said.
