‘Many have faded…’: Gavaskar’s ‘success gets to head’ warning for Rinku Singh | Cricket

The IPL has once again lived up to its moniker of ‘where talent meets opportunity’ as certain youngsters have grabbed the opportunity with both hands and are emerging as the season’s rising stars. One of them is Rinku Singh, who has already played a couple of blinders for Kolkata Knight Riders. With 174 runs from 5 matches, Rinku has already set the IPL 2023 on fire with one of the craziest innings of all time. Against Gujarat Titans, the left-handed Rinku did the impossible when he walloped five sixes in the final over to help KKR with a heist. If that wasn’t enough, Rinku followed it with a half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad and although he wasn’t able to finish the game this time around for his team, he took the game deep winning admirers along the way. With scores of 46, 48 and an unbeaten 58, Rinku has become story of this year’s IPL.

Having said that, Rinku has received a word of advice than none other than the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. The former India captain, whose theory of ‘second-season syndrome’ has more than come true for players like Devdutt Padikkal, Umran Malik and others, feels that while what Rinku has done so far makes for an exemplary feat, the 25-year-old needs to be a little cautious and make sure he deals with this overnight success better.

“Of course, he will now be the centre of a lot of eyes and will be in demand a lot more than he was a week or so back. How he and his family handle the sudden public gaze will determine how he progresses in his career. There is absolutely nothing wrong in letting success go to one’s head for as sure as night follows day there will be a fall. How one picks oneself up after the fall is important, and it’s here that the family and genuine well-wishers play an important role,” Gavaskar wrote in Mid-Day.

“They are the ones who lift you up and reinforce the belief that you can do it again. When that happens, the person is not just a better player but a better human being for having seen both sides of the coin and knowing which is the one he should be going after. Many have faded after succeeding simply because there was no backup from family and friends.”

What makes Rinku’s five sixes in an over standout over the rest is the situation it came in. With KKR needing 28 to win off five balls, not many gave them a chance but Rinku had other plans. Making the most of some lacklustre bowling from left-arm quick Yash Dayal, Rinku took full toll and produced one of the greatest successful finishes of all time. The magnitude of this knock is such that Gavaskar has placed Rinku’s innings a notch above Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes against Stuart Broad at the 2007 T20 World Cup.

“More than five sixes in an over have been hit before most notably by Yuvraj Singh and that too in an ICC T20 World Cup, but to hit five consecutive ones off the last five deliveries in the match and that too when 30 runs were needed to win makes it a fairy tale-like never before. The poise, the balance and the ferocity with which they were struck was jaw dropping because when you see Rinku Singh from close quarters, he is not a big-built powerful looking person but an average guy who would not grab attention straightaway,” added the legendary former India batter.