IRE vs IND 2023: My mother told me to work hard, I am living her dream, says Rinku Singh after India’s debut

India’s rookie batter Rinku Singh was proud after he made his national team debut in the first T20I against Ireland at the Villiage, Dublin on Friday. Singh, however, didn’t get to bat in his maiden International match in the Indian colors.

Singh, who belonged to a humble background, has worked his way up the ladder by toiling hard. The Aligarh-born cricketer revealed his mother told him to work hard and he is living her dream.

Singh had a terrific run in IPL 2023, scoring 474 runs in 14 matches at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.53. The southpaw scored a total of four fifties in the season and really impressed while batting in the middle order for KKR.

Singh grabbed the headlines when he smashed five sixes in the final over against Yash Dayal to take KKR over the line.

“A lot of blood and sweat has gone behind to earn this call. My passion for the sport helped me wade through a lack of support and financial hardships,” Rinku said during an interview with JioCinema before leaving for Ireland.

“One thing that kept the desire burning was to give my family a good life, which was possible if I moved up the ladder in the sport. I had that self-belief and that made me stronger and helped me in my journey which has taken a new turn,” he added.

Singh revealed his family is really happy after he made his debut and he will look to give his best in the upcoming matches.

“They were very happy. My mother always told me to work as hard as I can to earn the India call and that has happened now, so I am living their dream.”

Shedding light on his journey so far and crediting the role of th family in his career, Singh said, “I have seen my family face financial struggles and I wanted to help them overcome through cricket. That desire to get them out of the grind kept me going. It kept me motivated to work hard and keep up my efforts.

“My family had a massive role in my journey to date. When they didn’t have enough to fund my career, my mother borrowed money from others to keep me going. Where I am today is because of the support I have got from them.”

The second T20I between India and Ireland will be played at the Village, Dublin on Sunday.