Uttar Pradesh batter Rinku Singh is over the moon after his maiden India call-up after he was included in the Men in Blue side which will go to Hangzhou, China to participate in the Asian Games 2022 under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday announced men's and women's squads for the 19th Asian Games which are set to take place between September 23 and October 8 in Hangzhou, China.
With the main Indian team preparing for the World Cup 2023 at home, BCCI decided to name a second-string squad for the event and Rinku Singh, along with Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, and other players made it into the 15-member squad.
Speaking on his maiden India call-up and the possibility of wearing that blue jersey, Rinku Singh says there will be some tears when the moment comes.
"I am a strong guy but a bit emotional as well. I am pretty sure there will be some tears when I wear the India jersey for the first time. It has been a long and tough journey," Rinku told RevSportz.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Harmanpreet Kaur to lead Indian teams in the 19th Asian Games
Singh was propelled to fame after he hit 5 sixes in 5 balls in a match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad in IPL 2023, helping the team win the match from a no-win situation.
He continued and scored 474 runs in 14 matches for KKR with a strike rate of almost 160.
"Everyone dreams to play for India, wear that jersey. I don't think a lot about the future because the more you think, the more burden you put yourself under. I take life one day at a time. But yes, whoever takes up professional sports wants to represent their country one day or the other.
I know for a fact that my family, and my parents will be happier than me to see me wear the Indian jersey. They have been waiting for this for years now. They have seen my struggle, they have helped me, been with me through all my ups and downs. The day I don the jersey will be a day dedicated to them,” Rinku added.
The men’s cricket competition will take place from 28th September to 8th October in a T20 format.
