Kolkata Knight Riders are set to face Rajasthan Royals at their homeground, Eden Gardens on Thursday. Both teams will want to win the game in order to inch closer towards the Playoffs qualification. Ahead of the match, former India star bowler Harbhajan Singh appreciated KKR left-hander Rinku Singh and said he might get the India cap soon for his exploits in the current edition of the Indian Premier League.
In the 11 matches played so far this season, Rinku has smashed 337 runs and has an average of 56.17. He has the highest score of 58 and has smashed two half-centuries. 62.31% of his total runs have come from 21 fours and 21 sixes that he has hammered so far.
"That India cap is not far away from Rinku's head. He's such an inspirational player. He's run all the hard yards and worked very hard to get to where he is today. Full credit to him for having that belief in himself. His journey is a life lesson and all young kids should learn from him," Harbhajan told Star Sports.
Another former India player Mohammed Kaif seconded Harbhajan's view.
"Rinku Singh has that maturity. His footwork is very good and he looks to rotate the strike as well. Rinku knows how to convert his form into good knocks and also knows when to shift gears. He is capable of hitting big shots as well."
Rinku performed brilliantly when his team chased the targets, including a match against Gujarat Titans where he hit Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes in the last over and guided his team to victory.
India are scheduled to play five T20 matches in the West Indies and the USA in July and three games against Afghanistan and Ireland. Rinku, along with Tilak Verma and Jitesh Sharma are all in the line for national selection.
