When Rinku Singh Declined Job Of Sweeping And Mopping To Play Cricket

image-lpcae5wgRinku Singh hit the match-winning six against Australia (Twitter)

Hogging the limelight for his spectacular feat and match-winning effort in the opening T20I against Australia in Visakhapatnam, Rinku Singh is the protagonist one of Indian cricket's heartwarming tales. 

In a journey of great struggles and the most humble beginnings, Rinku hails from the small town of Aligarh where his family worked extensively hard to make two ends meet.

The 26-year-old saw the tough grind for basic things in life as a child growing up and had circumstances reaching such a low point that he was advised by family and relatives to join a sweeping and mopping job for daily sustenance alongside his brother. 


Rinku's Old KKR Interview Goes Viral After Vizag T20I Knock

Speaking to his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an old interview, Rinku had recalled the mental toughness he required at that point to decline the job offered and continue focusing on his cricket whilst his family was struggling. 

Relishing the immense financial and emotional support provided by the KKR franchise and saner heads of Indian cricket, Rinku is today one of the brightest young white-ball talents in the country. But the youngster could easily have been lost to his circumstances and poverty back home. 

"When I was starting and yet to play cricket, I was asked to join my brother for a job," Rinku says in the famous interview. I got a job of sweeping and mopping in a coaching centre. I didn't like the idea and refused."

"I told everyone that I will only play cricket and stuck with it," he added. "I wasn't very well qualified. But I always believed that cricket will take me places. I didn't have any other option, I put all my focus and energy on cricket and worked really hard."

That hardwork and resilience have been evident in Rinku's heartening ascent to become an end-overs match-winner for KKR and now India's T20I outfit. The cricketer was able to transform his and his family's livelihood through his on-field exploits via earnings made in the IPL and international cricket, where he has just started and could be in for a long career ahead of him.