Indian batsman Rinku Singh has revealed his ambition to represent India in Test cricket, addressing the perception that he specializes in only one format. Speaking to JioStar, he stated, “There is a bit of that perception that I’m just a one-format player. But you can look at my average in domestic cricket, whether it is in one-dayers or four-day matches. I have a dream of playing Test cricket for India as well. So, people should not view me as a single-format player. I can play all three formats, and I do play all three formats in domestic cricket. But for India, I play only one format at the moment.”
Rinku, who has participated in 48 T20 internationals, has scored 702 runs in 35 innings, maintaining an average of 36.94 and a strike rate of 156.34, including three half-centuries. He has also featured in two One Day Internationals (ODIs), accumulating 55 runs. Representing Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, he boasts a first-class record of 3,757 runs from 53 matches and 76 innings, averaging 58.70 with nine centuries and 23 fifties. In List-A cricket, he has made 2,418 runs in 64 innings over 70 matches, averaging 52.56 with two centuries and 21 half-centuries, maintaining a strike rate of 101.17.
In addition to his personal ambitions, Rinku expressed his hope for veteran players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to secure the 2027 ODI World Cup title, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. He remarked, “They are legends, both Virat bhaiya and Rohit bhaiya. Not just me, but the entire nation hopes that they play in the World Cup and are part of the team that goes on to win it. It would be a huge moment for the whole country, as who knows, it could be their last World Cup. So, it would be huge if they can win it for India. It would be huge for them as well, because we haven’t won the World Cup in a long time. We last won it in 2011. So, we hope both of them are with the team, and that they lift that trophy.”
Rohit Sharma has competed in three World Cups between 2015 and 2023, delivering outstanding performances, most notably as the leading run-scorer in the 2019 tournament in the United Kingdom, with 648 runs in nine matches including five centuries and a half-century. Overall, he ranks as the fourth-highest run-scorer in World Cup history, accumulating 1,575 runs in 28 matches with a batting average of 60.57, including seven centuries—the most by any batsman in World Cup history—and six fifties.
In ODIs, Rohit is India’s third-highest run-scorer and century-maker, with 11,895 runs in 288 matches at an average of 48.95, including 34 centuries and 62 fifties.
Virat Kohli is the second-highest run-scorer in World Cup history, with 1,795 runs in 37 matches at an average of 59.83, including five centuries and 12 fifties. Across 314 ODIs, he has amassed 14,941 runs at an average of 58.59, with 54 centuries and 79 fifties, establishing himself as one of the finest ODI batsmen.
Kohli holds a remarkable record in successful run-chases, scoring 6,235 runs in 111 matches at an average of 89.07, including 24 centuries and 29 fifties. In the current year, Kohli has scored 384 runs in six ODI innings at an average of 64.00 with a strike rate exceeding 106, including one century and three fifties. Rohit has faced some fluctuations this year, with 379 runs in nine innings at an average of 42.11 and a strike rate of over 99, including a century and a fifty, with his highest score being 138 against England at Lord’s.