What comes to mind when you think of Rinku Singh as a batter? Often, it is the fine finisher known for his white-ball exploits: be it those iconic five consecutive sixes in the IPL, quickfire finishing acts for his franchise and Team India, or his brilliance in the field, of course. Alongside these achievements, the 29-year-old has built a strong red-ball record for Uttar Pradesh, with solid performances that reflect his patience and desire to keep improving in the longer format.

With 4,011 runs in First-Class cricket at an impressive average of 60.77, the left-hander has the ninth-highest batting average (among players to have played a minimum of 50 games) in the history of First-Class cricket – quite a noticeable feat.

"There is a lot of love for the red ball because the real cricket is Test cricket," Rinku told BCCI.tv, expressing his love for the longer format. "Everyone wants to play that. Whoever does well in Test cricket, they have a different value because you are tested there. Bouncers come, you have to play session by session. What could be a bigger deal than scoring runs for Team India in Tests? Right now, I am focusing on myself, scoring runs so that whenever I get the opportunity, whether for India or India A, I want to make it to the Test team and win matches for the country.”

And his red-ball form this 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season has been hard to ignore. He has hit back-to-back hundreds and helped Uttar Pradesh have a winning start to their season. Against Bihar, he made 112 after coming in at 85 for 3, while an unbeaten 118 against Goa rescued his side from 33 for 3.

The century against Goa wasn't just a match-winning knock; it was his 11th First-Class ton, setting a new record for the most centuries by an Uttar Pradesh player. When asked about the milestone, Rinku kept it simple:

"It feels great to score centuries for the team, and you do feel proud. But records are made to be broken. Just like we are scoring centuries, someone will break ours too. This is what cricket is about. It will keep going on as long as we play.

"My role is coming in at number five to stabilize the team a bit, and then take the team out of trouble from there," Rinku further explained. "Whenever I come out to bat, three wickets are usually down, so I have to handle the innings and play accordingly. When it's my day, I think of playing the entire innings; the more runs I can score for my team, the better it is."

"Last year we missed out slightly; we won almost all our matches but couldn't get that one point. This year we've had a good start as well, winning two matches and getting 13." Rinku stated, looking back at Uttar Pradesh’s fine start.

His performances this season reflect the work he put in ahead of the Ranji Trophy. Speaking about that, Rinku highlighted: “We had a camp in Kanpur, where I prepared with the team. In my extra time, I also practice against sidearm specialists to get used to the pace and prepare well to be ready to face fast bowlers.”

It's been a long road for the attacking left-hander, who made his First-Class debut for Uttar Pradesh almost a decade ago against Punjab. His breakthrough came in 2019, when he piled up 953 runs in just 10 matches. That made him the tournament's third-highest run-scorer and the top scorer for UP that year. So how does he adjust when he switches from white-ball to red-ball cricket?

"Mentally, you have to stay tough. In white-ball, wherever the ball is, we can hit it. In red-ball, we can leave it," he noted. "I change my stance a bit for red-ball cricket. The closer you play the ball to the body in red-ball cricket, the more balls you leave, the better it will be. If we throw our bat too much, there are very high chances of getting out."

As a senior player in the UP dressing room, Rinku shares his experience with younger teammates, encouraging them to remain patient when runs are hard to come by in the longer format.

"I have been playing red-ball cricket since 2016. When players get bothered by facing 30 balls for zero or one run, I just tell them that it's a four-day game. You can do whatever is needed. If you are at one run from 25 balls, eventually you get set and start seeing the ball better. You can build runs with singles and doubles; you don't even realize how quickly the runs add up once you are set."

Rinku is a live wire in the field too, and he has turned games for India with his fielding on many occasions. When asked which fielding position he enjoys most and what makes it tough, he said: "I really enjoy fielding. Mostly, I field in the slips in red-ball cricket. You have to stay focused on every ball because when a partnership is building, you feel like the ball won't come, and then suddenly one does."

For Rinku, the motivation to keep going season after season comes from his love for the game and the dream of playing Test cricket for India. Having represented the country in white-ball cricket, he continues to work towards that opportunity, with every first-class innings bringing a new chance to prove himself.

“Cricket has given me everything in life. I don't know any other line of work. That is my motivation, along with my family and the dream of playing Test cricket for India."

By Anubhav .P. Talukdar