Returning to represent Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Round 5 fixture against Tamil Nadu from the national duty, Rinku Singh stepped up again with a match-saving ton on November 19.
Facing TN in Coimbatore, UP conceded 455 runs in the first innings, courtesy of centuries for Baba Indrajith (149) and Andre Siddarth (121), while the 19-year-old Kartik Yadav scalped a five-fer.
After UP had lost some quick wickets, Singh rescued them from a precarious situation with another special effort.
Add AllSportsPeople as a preferred news source
How many runs did Rinku Singh score against Tamil Nadu?
Rinku joined captain Karan Sharma at 149/3 at number 5 before they quickly lost another couple of wickets, finding themselves 191/5 — still 264 away from TN's score.
The star batter stood tall, alongside Shivam Mavi (54) and stitched a crucial 104 run stand. Despite losing Mavi, he continued to score briskly and went past the three-figure mark in consecutive Ranji Trophy appearances.
With 407/8, they still needed him to add another 48 runs on the board to secure at least three points from the match. He added another 35 runs before being dismissed at a heroic 176(247), with the help of 17 fours and six sixes. The 10th wicket partnership between Aaqib Khan and Kunal Tyagi eventually managed to get a 5 run lead for the team.
This 176 from Rinku comes on the back of his 165*(273) against Andhra on his last appearance to get the first-innings lead on Day 4 of the match, before he left for Australia.
What is Rinku Singh's first-class cricket record?
The UP star batter has scored 3677 runs and averages 59.30 after 52 first-class matches so far. He has nine centuries and 22 fifties to his name — most of which have come with his team in trouble.
In his last four first-class innings, Singh has scored 89 (110) vs Haryana, 68 (131) vs Punjab, 165 n. O (273) vs Andhra and 176 (247) vs Tamil Nadu.
With his consistency, he keeps knocking on the doors of the selectors, who have been experimenting with a few names in the middle order in recent months. Though the 28-year-old has represented India in white-ball cricket, he is yet to make a Test debut.
RELATED LINKS:
- When does the Ashes 2025/26 start? Full schedule for the next Australia vs England five-match Test series
- Virat Kohli IPL 2026 team, salary: Will the former India captain retire or look for a transfer?
- IPL 2026 Auction: Date, Players List, Rules & Mini-Auction Preview
- All the latest cricket news