Rinku Singh is making a lot of good decisions right now: Eoin Morgan

Ahead of the IPL 2024 which begins on March 22, Live and Exclusive on JioCinema, in an episode of Legends Lounge, JioCinema IPL experts Anil Kumble, Mike Hesson, Eoin Morgan and Robin Uthappa spoke about the emerging stars of IPL and Indian cricket. Excerpts:

Anil Kumble on youngsters who could become future stars: Rinku Singh is someone who’s going to be really special. With the role he plays for KKR and India and the opportunities that he’s got, it’s been extremely difficult to come in at No. 6 or No. 7 and win a game for your team. That, to me, is special. There are quite a few. Sai Sudharsan was very impressive. I think he’s someone who can play all three formats. He has the technique and the ability. I would like to see more wrist spinners coming through.

Also read: Rinku Singh's six hits young cricketer, batter apologises with signed cap

Mike Hesson on Rajat Patidar: One who’s dropped off the radar a little bit is Rajat Patidar. I worked with him in RCB and he missed last year’s IPL because of an operation. He’s one player who can hit sixes from the crease. It’s all well against spin when there’s no pace on the ball, coming down the wicket and banging it, but he actually can hit from anywhere. He’s incredibly powerful, plays pace well, and can bat anywhere between No 3 and 6. He’s probably a late bloomer, one of those players that’s taken a little while to learn the craft, but he’s special.

Eoin Morgan on Rinku Singh’s role as a finisher: I was in the KKR squad with him from 2020 to 2022. You sit back and admire the work ethics over everything, combined with his attitude. It’s a role that can be very unforgiving at times. You have to be concise and calm but also have to pick your time and match-up to accelerate the run rate. Right now, Rinku Singh is making a lot of good decisions.

Robin Uthappa on Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad: I worked closely with Yashasvi when he came into the IPL in 2020 with RR. He’s a bit of a cricket nut. He’s obsessed with the game. He knows nothing but cricket. He lives, breathes, and eats only cricket. You’ll see him walking off randomly on the beach, talking to himself and figuring his game out. An example of a practice session he had with the RR Academy was that he went into practice at 2 in the afternoon and finished at 12:45 at night and just kept batting. Another one of those for me is Ruturaj Gaikwad. He’s an all-format player and should have played for India a lot more than he has but the competition is so much that he hasn't played much. Another one that’s coming up the ranks is Dhruv Jurel. I really like him. He’s one for the future and I think he plays that finisher's role with panache.