‘He just told me to’- India star cricketer gives credit to MS Dhoni for his impressive finishing skills after Afghanistan T20I

India won the first T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali in a one-sided affair with 6 wickets and 15 balls to spare. The match was played under testing conditions with the temperature falling below 10 degrees and dew was expected to set in. So, Rohit Sharma invited the Afghanistan batters to bat in and restricted them to a below-par total of 158 with some useful contributions from Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran. India chased down the total pretty comfortably despite some early hiccups with a blistering half-century from all-rounder Shivam Dubey who scored 60 runs off just 40 deliveries to take India home in the 1st T20I. Shubman Gill and Tilak Varma played some handy knocks to support Dubey in his effort.

But another batter who proved his worth in a little yet noticeable contribution which he made with his 9-ball 16 runs was Rinku Singh. In the short time in which he has represented India, Rinku Singh has garnered a reputation as a reliable finisher. Rinku Singh who has had two good IPL seasons back-to-back took international as fish to water in the T20I format. 

Rinku Singh credits MS Dhoni for his finishing prowess

Finishing the games is one skill that is not so common among the best players and Rinku Singh seems to have that knack for finishing games successfully even in difficult situations. After his recent knock against Afghanistan, the southpaw credited MS Dhoni’s advice for the maturity in his game.

MS Dhoni is considered as India’s best finisher to date and Rinku Singh would like to follow the great man’s footsteps to become the new finisher for India in the white ball format. In an interview after the match Rinku Singh said, “I have got a habit of batting at 6 and finishing games, I’m feeling very happy with this job. Enjoyed the cold conditions, it was tough while fielding though. I just try to talk to myself, batting at 6, I don’t have the chance to face too many balls or score too many runs, that’s the thing I keep telling myself.”

He further credited MS Dhoni was sharing some valuable inputs with him. He said, “I’ve spoken with Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni), he just told me to react according to the ball, keep your calm and I just do the same thing. I don’t think a lot while batting, just react to the ball.”