Star Indian finisher Rinku Singh has become one of the most beloved cricketers, not only for his batting but also for his off-field antics. Rinku has often made headlines for his habit of asking senior cricketers for their bats. In particular, the clips of him chasing Virat Kohli for a bat went viral. However, the southpaw has finally opened up about the story behind those videos and how it affected him.
During the IPL 2024 season, fans circulated videos of Rinku asking Kohli for a bat. The interaction became a running social media trend, portraying the cricketer as constantly pestering the former India captain. The incident gained more attention when Rinku broke the first bat Kohli gave him and later approached him again for a replacement, with batting stalwart eventually obliging the request.
“Main thoda zyada badnaam ho gaya tha bat ke chakkar mai (I became infamous because of the bat). I used to meet him (Kohli) normally and then asked for a bat. The cameraman would follow me. It wasn’t being perceived well. It wasn’t good for me and bhaiya (Kohli) too as videos of bat were going viral,” Rinku told News24 Sports.
Rinku Singh finds place in India’s Asia Cup squad
The southpaw admitted that while it was all in good spirits, the constant focus of cameras made him cautious about repeating the act. That is why in IPL 2025, fans didn’t see him hovering around Kohli. Instead, another young Uttar Pradesh cricketer, Swastik Chikara, became the one closely following the RCB legend.
“I wasn’t seen with Virat bhai this time (IPL 2025). I did get Mahi bhai’s bat and Rohit bhai’s bat. It’s a big deal for me to get the bats from such players. For Chikara, it was a big deal to be around such a big player. He became his shadow. He learnt a lot from him,” Rinku added.
Meanwhile, the youngster found his name included in India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE. Having recently scored a century in the UP T20 League, the 27-year-old is looking to carry his form into the continental tournament, where India will open their campaign against the UAE on September 10.
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