IPL 2023: 'His journey is a life lesson, he is not far from playing for India,' Harbhajan Singh on KKR star

Former India legend Harbhajan Singh sees Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh playing for India soon. Termed as the finisher by many, the left-handed Rinku has emerged as one of the star batters this season, owing to some of his unbelievable outings – especially the one that broke the internet against Gujarat Titans (hitting Yash Dayal for five sixes in the final over).

Speaking ahead of KKR’s home game against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, Harbhajan said Rinku’s journey is no less than an inspiration, and he gets all the credit for believing in himself – something that is paying off now.

"That India cap is not far away from Rinku's head. He's such an inspirational player. He's run all the hard yards and worked very hard to get to where he is today. Full credit to him for having that belief in himself. His journey is a life lesson, and all young kids should learn from him," Harbhajan said on Star Sports ahead of Match 56th of IPL 2023.

Aligarh-born Rinku Singh was part of KKR squad for a few seasons and broke into limelight following his almost-match-winning knock against Lucknow Super Giants the previous season. Not only did he deliver the promise, but Rinku also ensured he's living up to his reputation by doing it consistently.

After what transpired in that final over against Dayal – which saw many records getting broken, Rinku again did the job for his side in the game against Punjab Kings.

Alongside Andre Russell, the pair took the game till the last over when six was required from Arshdeep’s final over. Though Russell departed and the equation fell down to two from the final delivery, Rinku glanced one off the fine leg area for a four and helped his team win the match by five wickets.

Kaif also praises Rinku

Other than Harbhajan, Mohammed Kaif also had some flowery words for Rinku, saying with time, he has matured a lot and is excellent with his footwork and how he rotates the strike.

"Rinku Singh has that maturity. His footwork is very good and he looks to rotate strikes as well. Rinku knows how to convert his form into good knocks and also knows when to shift gears. He is capable of hitting big shots as well," Mohammed Kaif said.

Meanwhile, with 337 runs from 11 outings this season, Rinku is KKR’s highest run-scorer. Keeping one eye on sealing the playoffs berth, Rinku will aim to pull up his socks and deliver in the upcoming crunch games.