- By Namrata Vijay
- Sat, 18 Oct 2025 05:49 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ranji Trophy 2025: Rinku Singh's brilliant knock of 161 runs helped Uttar Pradesh bounce back against Andhra Pradesh in the ongoing tournament in Kanpur. He came into bat at the no.5 position, where he batted patiently and helped the team bounce back after suffering a batting collapse, and showed for the T20I series against Australia.
Uttar Pradesh faced a stiff challenge after Andhra had posted a mammoth target of 470 runs during their first innings. The hosts were reeling at 178/5 and had lost four wickets after scoring just 34 runs, and then Rinku helped the team come back by smashing a brilliant ton.
Rinku batted responsibly instead of aggressively. He had played 260 balls and faced challenges from Andhra's bowlers and helped the team come back. This innings showed his maturity and growth, especially after his brilliant performances in IPL and the shortest format.
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Along with Vipraj Nigam, who also scored a gritty knock of 42 runs, Rinku had played a huge role in the 122-run partnership for the seventh wicket. This partnership helped the team go past 450 and stabilized the innings, and helped the team bounce back.
With this ton, he inched closer to achieving the milestone of 3400 runs in this format at an average of more than 55. He has hit eight centuries and 22 half-centuries in this format. He is not just a consistent player in the shortest format, but he has proved in other formats as well.
He had scored this knock at a perfect time as the Men in Blue will be playing a five-match T20I series against Australia later this month. His performance in the domestic tournament has reassured the selectors, and with Hardik out with injury, Rinku can be the finisher the team needs.
His innings helped UP take the first innings lead against Andhra as the match ended in a tie.