Indian batter Rinku Singh admitted there was pressure on him ahead of the first T20I against New Zealand. Team India won the opening T20I against New Zealand convincingly by 48 runs at Nagpur on Wednesday. 

Singh, who got a chance in the starting XI after a long time, scored a crucial cameo of 44 runs off just 20 balls. The left-hander smashed four fours and three sixes to add the finishing touches and help India post 238 runs on the board. The southpaw scored his runs at an impressive strike rate of 220 as he batted at the top of his game.

“There was pressure on me as I was in and out of the team. The plan was to take singles, doubles and in between hit the boundary. Also to stay till the end and finish it off. That’s what I did,” said Rinku Singh after the game.

Rinku Singh has scored 594 runs in 26 T20I innings at an average of 45.69 and a blistering strike rate of 165.

On the other hand, former Indian off-spinner also praised the Uttar Pradesh batter and highlighted that Singh got a chance after a long time.

“Rinku Singh’s performance has to be praised, the poor guy got a chance after a long time, and he made the most of it. Every time he gets a chance, he is such a hard working player that he never lets the chance go. Whenever he plays, he wins hearts,” Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube channel.

Singh would look to carry his good form in the T20 World Cup. The second T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Raipur on Friday.