NEW DELHI: India’s rising star Rinku Singh has revealed that he occasionally speaks to former India captain MS Dhoni over the phone, discussing batting strategies and mental preparation for high-pressure match situations. Their conversations mostly revolve around batting in the lower middle order, a role both have mastered, with Dhoni offering advice on staying composed during crunch moments.Rinku, who has been part of the Kolkata Knight Riders setup for seven years, shot to fame after smashing five consecutive sixes in an over against Gujarat Titans.“In the 2023 tournament, we had talked. Sometimes, we talk on call because he used to bat at the same number. So I asked him about his mindset, how he stayed during the last overs,” Rinku said on Raj Shamani’s podcast.Dhoni’s guidance stressed the value of composure under pressure. “He was saying the same thing, in the last overs, it is very important to stay completely calm and to believe in yourself. The number is such that it isn’t easy to hit; world-class bowlers are in front of you, so it isn’t easy to hit,” Rinku added.The KKR batter also recalled his first meeting with Dhoni during an IPL match in Dubai after the COVID break. The experience left him so awestruck that he could hardly process what Dhoni was telling him.“I will tell you that scene. After COVID, there was a tournament, the IPL in Dubai. It was our last match, we had lost to CSK and I was scared, these are big players, Mahi bhai. How should I go and meet them? I took Kuldeep bhai, who had already played with them and said, ‘Kuldeep bhai, let’s talk a little about batting, come with me,'” Rinku recalled.He added, “So I went, I was a little nervous, thinking what should say about batting. He was explaining, explaining, explaining and I kept looking at him, looking at him. My mind was not processing what he was saying.”
