IPL 2023: LSG coach Andy Flower applauds Rinku Singh’s stellar performance

Kolkata: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Andy Flower was full of praise for Rinku Singh’s impressive performance and said the KKR batter is hungry for success and humble at the same time.

Rinku put in another heroic performance on Saturday, scoring 67 off 33 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). When KKR needed 41 from 12 balls, Rinku smashed Naveen-ul-Haq for three four and a six, scoring a total of 20 overs in the penultimate over.

With 21 needed from six balls, Rinku Singh hit Yash Thakur for two sixes and a four but it was not enough as KKR eventually fell short by 1 run and LSG clinched the last over thriller to qualify for the Play-offs.

“We were in a good situation; we had worked so hard in the first 14-15 overs. And if they had won it from there it would have been genuinely astounding. Rinku played out of his skin again, didn’t he, to get them that close. It was a matter of not making a really obvious error in those last few overs. He batted beautifully, he batted brilliantly, and we didn’t quite hit our straps at the end there,” Flower said in a post-match press conference.

Flower also praised the LSG seamers Naveen-ul-Haq and Yash Thakur for holding the nerves in a tight finish. Despite going for runs in the death overs, the duo had bowled well enough to prevent KKR from wrapping the win.

“But then Naveen ul Haq and Yash Thakur were doing quite a tough job bowling multiple overs at the death. Usually, you want to share out those death overs a little bit better, more evenly distributed among the seamers. But they came through in the end,” the LSG coach said.

Speaking on Rinku’s future in Indian cricket, the 55-year-old said that KKR batter is a good package as he is showing that he can perform well in pressure situations.

“He looks like a physically talented guy but he also looks like he is really hungry for success and humble at the same time. But, he is confident in what he can do, I think he is really a good package,” said Flower.

“There is so much batting talent in the country and he (Rinku) is showing that he can do it under pressure and that’s the key aspect of playing national cricket. So, I think he has got a future,” he said.