"My hard work at KKR academy paying off", says batter Rinku Singh ahead of match against RR

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 11 : Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh said that his hard work at the KKR Academy during the off-season camp is paying off, as it helped him improve his game, especially in death overs.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2023 match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday.
"My hard work at the KKR academy is paying off. We had an off-season camp there and I've worked hard and improved a lot. I just play normal shots, and practice harder for death overs as per my batting position at KKR Academy," said Rinku in a pre-match press conference.
"I just try to keep it simple and play normal shots. I think if I try something extra it will affect my batting. It is about just playing according to the merit of the ball and I just back my shots," added the batter.
In 11 matches, Rinku has scored 337 runs at an average of 56.16 and a strike rate of 151.12. He has scored two half-centuries this season, with best score of 58*. Though he has been a reliable star for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, hitting Gujarat Titans' pacer Yash Dayal for five successive sixes in the final over to chase down 205 pushed Rinku to cricketing stardom, just like IPL has done for numerous cricketers over the years. Amid all openers and top-order batters occupying the top 15 positions in the batting charts, he is the only middle-order batter.
He also revealed advice he got from the "world's best finisher" MS Dhoni about dealing with pressure while batting.
"He is the world's best finisher. I just asked 'Bhaiya' what else I could do while I'm going to bat. He just told me don't think much, just wait for the ball," said Rinku.
On his calm composure at the crease during tense, troublesome situations as a middle-order batter, "For the spot I am batting in, you have to be calm-headed, it's about going with a clear mind and backing yourself. You have to stay calm. People were screaming 'Rinku, Rinku', but my focus was only on the last ball (against Punjab Kings on Monday).
Rinku said as far as his role models are concerned, he does not really follow anyone but considers his fellow UP player and veteran Suresh Raina as his idol, who just like Rinku, was a master of pulling off run-chases and steering the innings as a middle-order batter.
"I do not follow anyone as such. I usually bat at No. 5, 6 or 7. I bat at similar positions in UP. Suresh Raina has been my idol," he concluded.
Coming to the match against RR, KKR is in the sixth spot in the points table with five wins and six losses. They have a total of 10 points. On the other hand, RR's campaign has took a turn to bad after some recent losses. They have five wins and six losses as well, which translates to a total of 10 points.
With a win, these teams can climb as high as number three in the table and push behind Mumbai Indians, which currently has 12 points with six wins and five losses.
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jason Roy, Anukul Roy, N Jagadeesan, Lockie Ferguson, Kulwant Khejroliya, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Johnson Charles, David Wiese, Aarya Desai
Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Murugan Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldip Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Adam Zampa, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Obed McCoy, Trent Boult, Navdeep Saini, Akash Vasisht, KC Cariappa, KM Asif, Kuldeep Sen, Donavon Ferreira, Abdul Basith, Kunal Singh Rathore.