He can develop into a Test cricketer – Vikram Rathour backs Rinku Singh to find success in red-ball format

Departing India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour has put his weight behind Rinku Singh to be a successful Test batter. Rathour said Singh doesn’t have many technical faults in his batting and can flourish in the pristine form of the game.

While Singh has made a name for himself as a finisher in T20Is, scoring 416 runs in 20 T20Is at an impressive average of 83.2 and a blistering strike rate of 176.27, he is yet to make his Test debut. Singh was part of the reserves for the T20 World Cup 2024.

However, Singh has scored 3173 runs in 47 first-class matches at an impressive average of 54.70 while playing for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit.

“When I see him (Rinku) bat in nets, I can’t find any technical reasons why Rinku cannot be a successful Test batter. I understand he has made his name as a terrific finisher in T20 cricket but if you look at his first-class record, he is averaging in high 50s,” Rathour was quoted as saying by PTI.

“He (Rinku) is also blessed with a very calm temperament. So all these factors indicate that if given an opportunity, he can develop into a Test cricketer,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rathour added he always told Virat Kohli to back his methods. Kohli could only muster 75 runs in the first seven matches of the T20 World Cup however he scored a crucial knock of 76 runs in the final against South Africa to help India post a fighting score of 176 runs.

“There were no technical issues that we worked on specifically during this phase. The constant message to him was to keep working hard and believe in his methods. Eventually, he came back stronger and an even better player,” he said.

India will next take on Sri Lanka in three T20Is and as many ODIs.