Here's why Rinku Singh's last-ball six against Australia wasn't counted
Indian dasher Rinku Singh aced the finisher's role in India's two-wicket triumph over Australia in the T20I series opener in Visakhapatnam on November 23. He kept his cool in the crunch overs as the Men in Blue chased down 209 with a ball to spare. While Rinku cleared the rope on the final delivery, his maximum was not counted. Here is the reason.
What is the incident?
India needed a solitary run off the final ball, which was bowled by Sean Abbott. The Aussie pacer overstepped as the last delivery turned out to be a no-ball. Though Rinku dispatched the ball over the long-on boundary, his six was not taken into account. As Abbott's delivery was not a legal one, India crossed the line in 19.5 overs.
Here is why Rinku's six was not counted
As mentioned, India needed one run off the final ball. That run was awarded with Abbott's no-ball. Hence, the match got over as soon as Abbott overstepped and Rinku's hit was not taken into the account. The southpaw's maximum would have been added to the record books had India required at least two runs off the last delivery.
A composed knock from Rinku
At 194/4, India looked in command while chasing 209. However, they then lost four wickets inside 10 runs and the pressure piled upon Rinku. The southpaw smashed four boundaries, including one in the final over, en route to his unbeaten 22 off 14 balls.
Rinku's overall numbers in slog overs
As far as his numbers in death overs (16-20) are concerned, Rinku has scored 594 runs in 26 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 195.39. The 25-year-old left-handed batter has hammered 44 sixes in these overs. Notably, the southpaw made his Team India debut earlier this year following a dream run for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
A look at his Rinku's T20 numbers
Having batted in three T20I innings for India, Rinku owns 97 runs at a strike rate of 194. Overall in T20 cricket, Rinku, who represents Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, has garnered 2,122 runs in 102 games at an average and strike rate of 34.2 and 145.77, respectively. The tally includes 13 half-centuries with his highest score being 79.
