Thanks to Virat Kohli, Rinku Singh memes flood social media ahead of India-Bangladesh cricket series

On September 16, Indian fast bowler Akash Deep was delighted when Virat Kohli gifted him a signed cricket bat during the team's training camp at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium. Overjoyed by the gesture, Akash Deep shared a photo of the autographed bat on his Instagram story and captioned it, “Thank You Bhaiya”.

Akash Deep’s Instagram Story, however, has reminded Indian cricket fans of Rinku Singh. Here is why.

In late May, Virat Kohli gifted one of his own cricket bats to Rinku Singh during a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Delighted by the gesture, Rinku shared a photo of the bat on social media, and it quickly gained attention.

A few weeks later, when the two teams met again at Eden Gardens, Rinku approached Kohli during a practice session to ask for another bat. Kohli became upset upon hearing that the first bat had broken. A week later, Rinku received a second bat from Kohli.

Fans humorously suggest that Kohli’s generosity for Akash Deep must have upset Rinku Singh. A meme fest on the issue has started on social media.

India vs Bangladesh cricket series

The Indian squad is preparing for the upcoming two-match Test series at home against Bangladesh.

Bangladesh will tour India from September 19 to mid-October for a series of cricket matches in both Test and T20 formats. The tour begins with two Test matches: the first is set for September 19-23 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, and the second from September 27 to October 1 at Green Park in Kanpur.

After the Tests, the teams will compete in a trio of T20 International matches. These games are scheduled for October 6 at the New Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior, October 9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi and the final match on October 12 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.