EXCLUSIVE: Indian team is looking at Rinku Singh as a finisher, opines Saba Karim

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim believes the Indian side is considering Rinku Singh as a finisher to slot him in the lower order in the Indian batting unit in the coming years. The former Indian cricketer also backed Suryakumar Yadav to be an emerging leader for the national side. Saba Karim spoke to ETV Bharat's Nishad Bapat

Hyderabad: Former India stumper Saba Karim has opined that the Indian team is looking at Rinku Singh as a finisher for the national side and he can fulfil his role for the Men in Blue quite capably.

India is playing a five-match bilateral series against Australia in the shortest format and leading it by 2-1. Rinku Singh has played a crucial role with the bat for the Indian team and his knock in the second T20I of the series was sensational as he scored an unbeaten 31 runs off nine deliveries to help India chase down a challenging total.

Quizzed on whether Rinku Singh can be groomed as a finisher, Saba Karim, Expert, JioCinema and Sports18, said the left-handed batter can fulfil the responsibility capably.

"(The) Indian team is looking at Rinku Singh as a finisher and he is incredible while batting first as well as chasing a challenging total. The team management is backing him to be in the playing XI. There are some tough challenges ahead like the South Africa series and it will be a big test for Rinku (Singh) as playing conditions are going to be different than the home conditions. He (Rinku Singh) has to adapt to a variety of surfaces. His experience in the domestic circuit will be handy while touring South Africa. Also, his game awareness is high. He can rotate the strike as well as hit big shots and he has shown that on slow surfaces which makes him a quality finisher," Karim stated in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat.

Both the teams are playing in the absence of their first-choice players and so a young group of players are seen fighting to win the series. Saba Karim, who played 34 ODIs, thinks that right-arm pacer Nathan Ellis can make it big at the international stage for the Australian side.

"Most of these players have been with the Australian side for a couple of seasons. (Opener) Travis Head is one such player, who has risen through the ranks to make it big. Three or four players from this pool can take Australian cricket forward. Nathan Ellis is one such lad, who will be impactful with his effective bowling in the coming years," remarked Patna-born Karim, who has 7,310 first-class runs.

Mumbaikar Suryakumar Yadav is captaining the side as most of the senior players including regular skipper Rohit Sharma were rested for the series. Reflecting on the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, Saba opined that he has been a good captain and is delivering with his primary skill which is batting.

"Suryakumar is calm and soothing on the ground. That is a hallmark of an emerging leader. It (the captaincy) is a new dimension altogether. The dynamic changes when you graduate from a state-level captaincy to international captaincy (and) Surya will take some time. There's so much learning for him. He has been impressive with batting as well and it is important for a captain to deliver with his primary skill," explained Karim.

The former Indian cricketer backed India to emerge victorious against Australia in the current five-match series.

"At the start of the series, I had predicted that this young Indian side would come on top against the Australian team in the bilateral series. (I) stick with my views. Although Australia bounced back in the last game, I still believe India will emerge triumphant. They are a young side, have a new captain and all the players in the team want to prove themselves at this stage," he claimed.

Saba Karim also backed JioCinema for their initiative to telecast the series in different languages.

"Everyone is excited to watch their favourite sport in the mother tongue. It all started during the Indian Premier League season and is a huge hit amongst the spectators. It brings in a different flair altogether. All languages have the ability to understand the game and explain them to the viewers. JioCinema has shown respect by bringing all these languages together. Going forward digital is the way that will take international cricket forward. It is a great initiative," he concluded.

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