Ex India player picks Dhoni's successor as India's next finisher: 'He needs to be backed'

Young Indian cricket team batter Rinku Singh had a stellar season in the Indian Premier League for the Kolkata Knight Riders and scored a total of 474 from 14 matches in the 16th edition of the cash-rich league. Rinku played many memorable innings in the tournament, out of which one was an unbeaten knock of 48 runs against defending champions Gujarat Titans in the 13th match of the IPL 2023. 

3 things you need to know 

• Rinku Singh scored a total of four half-centuries in the Indian Premier League 2023 
• Fans criticised the Indian team management for not including Rinku in the T20I squad for the IND vs WI series 
• Rinku Singh is a part of Team India for the Asian Games 2023 

ALSO READ | 'I was a bit shocked': Shikhar Dhawan expresses frustration with yet another India snub in Asian Games

Abhishek Nayar's big statement on Rinku Singh 

(KKR batter Rinku Singh while playing a shot in the Indian Premier League 2023 / Image: AP) 

Mumbai all-rounder and Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach, Abhishek Nayar while speaking to the Republic World in an exclusive conversation, heaped huge praise on Rinku Singh. As per Nayar, Rinku can be the next Team India's finisher and played the same role for Knight Riders really well in the IPL 2023. Abhishek further quoted that the left-handed batter has a great ability to hit sixes from ball one but he will also need a very long rope. Nayar said: 

There are multiple players who can achieve that. There is one player, Rinku Singh who played the role of a finisher really well for KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) in the 16th edition of the IPL. He has also played that role in domestic cricket, but in my opinion he'll still needs some more time, he'll needs a longer rope, he needs to be backed. Being a finisher is very tough and you'll have more failures than success while taking that responsibility. It requires a lot of experience. I have seen this Indian kid do so well as a finisher. He has this unique capability of going in and consistently hitting big sixes. He is not one of the biggest blokes. He can play that role really well, but he will need that long rope. 

ALSO READ | 'Perform like Hardik Pandya': Kamran Akmal hits out at Pakistan player ahead of Asia Cup

Rinku Singh shall be in the minds of the Indian cricket team selectors for the upcoming Cricket World Cup 2023 and also the T20 World Cup next year. Since MS Dhoni retired from international cricket, Team India has been searching for a finisher for a long time, and eyeing Rinku's ability to hit the ball, he can prove to be a very priceless investment for the team. 

Indian cricket team players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in the last phase of their careers and the team will go through a transition phase in the next three to four years. During this transition phase, players like Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and many more will be the perfect choice to take the team forward.