Rinku,the baseball star,loves this home run

Rinku Singh,the winner of the reality show the 'million dollar arm' landed in New Delhi earlier this month.

When Rinku Singh,the winner of the reality show the ‘million dollar arm’ landed in New Delhi earlier this month after 12 months of competing in various baseball leagues in the United States,he succumbed to the temptation of eating desi-food. He gulped down a plate of pani-puris at an outlet in a mall and was shortly affected by a stomach bug.

The 24-year-old paid the price for breaking his structured diet,but what irritated him even more was that he had to wait for another two days till his stomach felt all right after reaching his home town Bhadohi to eat home-made delicacies cooked by his mother.

Pittsburgh,where his baseball team the Pirates are based,or the various venues across Australia at which he has played,are a far cry from Bhadohi,but Rinku admits that in spite of his love for the game he does miss home and his parents. Rinku’s stint with baseball has also helped uplift his family. They now have a nine-bedroom house,which replaced a much smaller construction. Rinku now speaks English with an American accent. He keeps in touch with his family over video-calling and a tablet is his constant companion.

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Home is very different from what it used to be,but it is still home and I miss everyone when I am away playing baseball, Rinku said. He also doesn’t seem to have forgotten those who helped him on the way up. On Wednesday,Rinku called on JS Bhatia,the athletics coach who was his mentor and guide. Bhatia was Rinku’s coach when he was dabbling in athletics,more specifically javelin throw. And it was Bhatia who alerted Rinku about the reality show. “I won the contest because I was stronger than the rest of the boys because of our training for the javelin throw under the guidance of Bhatia sir,” Rinku said on Wednesday.

He also made a visit to his alma mater the sports college at Lucknow alumni of which include Indian cricketers RP Singh,Piyush Chawla,Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina.

On Wednesday,it was the turn of a non-cricketer to give tips to the budding fast bowlers. Having one of the strongest throwing arms in the country if not the strongest,Rinku is well-placed to talk to the fast bowlers about the various exercise regimen followed to ensure that one’s arm muscles not only remain strong but stay injury-free.

“I know that people love cricket and cricketers in India and there is not much scope for baseball but I feel proud when people refer to me as ‘Rinku Singh from India’ when I play baseball in different leagues abroad,” he said.

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The experience with Pittsburgh Pirates has been a memorable one so far for Rinku. “My teammates are friendly. They still try to remind me that unlike them,I got an opportunity to meet US President Barack Obama two years ago. They refer to me as ‘Meet Mr Rinku Singh from India who has met President Obama’. I also remember my first meeting with baseball great Randy Johnson. Earlier I never knew anything about baseball but now I want to keep on improving my game,” he added.