The fielding in this IPL has often been poor. Even the best of fielders have dropped catches, and there have been many misfields all through the tournament. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – Rajasthan Royals (RR) match was no different. Rajasthan, for example, missed quite a few and gifted a few important runs to KKR. And that’s what brings me to Rinku Singh.
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It was the last over of the game, and the match was in the balance. Jofra Archer was on strike to Vaibhav Arora. The ball was pitched a little wide of off stump and Archer connected well. In fact, at one point, it seemed a certain boundary. Rinku, however, thought otherwise. He sprinted close to 20 metres and put in a full-length dive. And even as he did, he made sure that his stretched body was covering the ball. In no time, he was up again and the throw was a perfect one to the wicketkeeper. Two important runs were saved, and the eventual difference between the two teams was one run.
What mattered in this save was the effort. David Warner had once said to me that there is a thrill in running faster than the ball. He treated the ball as a competitor, and tried to outpace it. Rinku did the same. He sprinted faster than the ball on a surface which is lightening quick, and managed to put in the dive just when it mattered. It was a desperate effort, exactly the kind that is needed to win a match.
That KKR have a lifeline is also largely thanks to Rinku. His six-ball 19 and the save in the last over. It was this effort that was the difference between a win and a loss, and Rinku reminded us that in sport, it is never say never.