Rinku Singh has become the Uttar Pradesh batter with the most first-class centuries after scoring his second successive hundred in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. His unbeaten 118 off 186 balls, which included 11 fours and two sixes, took his tally to 11 first-class centuries and moved his career batting average to 61.33 across 55 matches and 78 innings.
In the match, Rinku walked in with UP struggling at 33 for 3 and guided his side to 202. Madhav Kaushik contributed 45, the second-highest score in UP's first innings and the only other score above 20. Yash Kasvankar claimed a five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 5 for 86 for the opposition.
Earlier in the same Ranji Trophy campaign, Rinku had scored 112 in a win over Bihar. His first-class career now reads 3,987 runs at an average of 61.33, with 11 centuries, 23 fifties and a best score of 176. Before this match, his average stood at 59.52.
Which UP record did Rinku Singh break?
Rinku surpassed Tanmay Shrivastava, a member of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2008, to claim the record for the most centuries by a Uttar Pradesh batter in first-class cricket. Rinku's 11th hundred moved him clear of Shrivastava's previous mark for the state.
The record underlines how consistently Rinku has performed in the longer format despite being used primarily as a T20 specialist at the international level. His 11 centuries and 23 fifties across 55 first-class games reflect sustained output over a significant number of appearances for UP.
Where does Rinku Singh's first-class average rank all time?
Rinku's first-class batting average of 61.33, calculated from a minimum of 50 innings, is the ninth-highest of all time in that category. Donald Bradman holds the record with an average of 95.14 from 338 innings, while Vijay Merchant of India is second at 71.64 from 234 innings.
Other Indians in the top 10 include Ajay Sharma, who averages 67.46 from 166 innings, Shantanu Sugwekar at 63.10 from 122 innings and Sarfaraz Khan at 62.92 from 95 innings. Rinku's average of 61.33 places him ninth on that list.
His recent form in the format has been particularly strong. Across his last 10 first-class matches, Rinku has scored 850 runs in 11 innings at an average of 94.44, with four centuries and three fifties and a best score of 176. The scores across those innings were 118*, 112, 60, 20, 176, 165*, 68, 89, 6, 26 and 10.
