Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium holds special memories for Indian cricketer Rinku Singh. As India gears up for the second T20I against New Zealand on Friday, all eyes are on Rinku to recreate his past magic at this venue.
India has played just one T20 match here before, a thrilling encounter against Australia on December 1, 2023. Rinku stole the show with a blistering 46 off 29 balls, smashing four boundaries and two sixes. His fiery knock propelled India to 174, and the bowlers sealed a 20-run victory by restricting Australia to 154.
Fresh off a stunning unbeaten 44 from 20 balls in Nagpur—complete with three sixes and four fours—Rinku is back in form. His comeback after a long absence underlines his value as a lower-order finisher. With the T20 World Cup looming, such performances are gold for Team India.
Leading 1-0 after Nagpur, India eyes a series-clinching win in Raipur. A victory here would make it 2-0, putting them on the cusp of sealing the series. In the recent ODI, Abhishek Sharma and Rinku shone, supported by Suryakumar Yadav’s 32 and Hardik Pandya’s 25. However, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and Shivam Dube need to step up with a big score.
Fielding lapses and bowling inconsistencies must be addressed. Rinku’s Raipur redux could be the spark India needs to dominate New Zealand and build momentum for global battles.