After Rohit Sharma & KL Rahul, Rinku Singh turns to Abhishek Nayar for Asia Cup preparation

2 weeks ago 130

Abhishek Nayar might be one of the best coaches in the world. After a 6-month stint as India’s assistant coach, Abhishek rejoined the Kolkata Knight Riders. Last month, he was appointed the head coach of UP Warriorz as well. Apart from Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises trying to acquire his services, players often try to seek his help as well.

Recently, India’s ODI captain, Rohit Sharma, was seen working with Abhishek to get back into the ODI groove. KL Rahul has credited Abhishek for his successful performance in the Champions Trophy and worked with him before the 5-match England Test tour.

Rinku Singh seeks Abhishek Sharma’s guidance

Rinku Singh has also turned towards Abhishek before the Asia Cup. The left-handed batter hasn’t been at his best for the last 12 months or so, but the selections have shown faith in him. Rinku and Abhishek have been working together since 2018, and the coach knows his game as well as anyone.

“Yes, a lot of work is going on to better my batting, for example, at the KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) Academy with Abhishek (Nayar) Sir,” Rinku told RevSportz when asked about his preparations for the Asia Cup.

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Working on weaknesses & adding new shots

KKR were all over the place in IPL 2025. With captain Shreyas Iyer gone, the batting order was all over the place. In the hodgepodge, Rinku didn’t do well either. He didn’t bat in all matches and averaged under 30. His strike rate of 153 was fine, but in no way great for someone seen as a finisher.

Rinku acknowledges his shortcomings. T20 is a game of evolution, and the southpaw is adding more weapons to his arsenal. He’s also working on his weak point. At the KKR Academy with Abhishek, Rinku has addressed his game against the short ball and worked on playing shots behind the wicket.

“We are working on the short ball, sweep shot, clap shot, etcetera. If I have performed well in 2023, then people would expect to see that again from me. Hence, I am working on strengthening my weak points. Working on improving my shots at KKR Academy so that I can gain expertise in every kind of shot and walk into the upcoming tournaments confidently,” Rinku added.