Indian cricketer Rinku Singh has been appointed as the captain of Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. The 27-year-old player has taken over from fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. This is notable, as this is the first time that Rinku will lead a side at the state level. This decision came when Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders did not announce Rinku as the captain for the next season.
“I am not thinking about captaining KKR in the new IPL season,” Rinku was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo. “I am focused on my plans for Uttar Pradesh, as I want to win again the trophy that my team won for the first time in 2015-16.”
With the Champions Trophy in February, Rinku was asked if he was hoping to make the team and he replied. “I believe in God,” he said. “When I hit five sixes in a row in the IPL last year, I never even thought about being a part of Team India. That turned out to be the biggest game-changer in my life. Even now I feel that if God decides something for me, I will definitely get it. But at the same time, I also need to work hard at my job.
Rinku has so far played two ODIs for India and 30 matches in the T20 format. He embodied all the qualities of the T20 era – fearless and nerveless, cool-headed and cold-eyed. As he demonstrated in the early spring of his T20 career, he can go rogue, and attack the bowlers on any surface or situation. He thrived in pressure situations, closed out matches, and enhanced his reputation as a T20 finisher.
Uttar Pradesh will begin their campaign on Saturday against Jammu and Kashmir, followed by Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, and finally Vidarbha.
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