Team India cricketer Rinku Singh, who shot to fame with his five consecutive sixes in the final over of a run chase for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, has become a reliable middle-order batsman in India’s T20I lineup. Recently, he opened up about his biggest fear, admitting that he is scared of ghosts. Speaking to Raj Shamani on his podcast, Rinku said he has been afraid of ghosts since childhood. When asked what scares him the most, Rinku replied, “Bhooton se bohot darr lagta hai. Pehle tha ki main akela so nhi sakta tha (I am very scared of ghosts. Earlier, I couldn’t sleep alone)." He added that even now, he keeps the lights on while sleeping. Currently, while in India, Rinku sleeps alone, but whenever he travels abroad with the team, he prefers sharing a room with a teammate. “Maine movie dekhi hui hai, uss mei dikhate hain ki bahar jaao toh bhoot hote hain toh main kisi ko pakadta hoon. Zyada tar main Kuldeep (Yadav) ke saath sota hoon (I’ve seen movies that show ghosts appearing abroad, so I hold on to someone. Mostly, I sleep with Kuldeep Yadav)." Rinku clarified that he has never actually seen a ghost but is frightened by disturbances at night. Calling himself a light sleeper, he said he wakes up at the slightest noise. He also revealed what he believes to be the “ghost hour.” “Mujhe lagta hai 3 se 4 ke beech bhooton ka time hota hai” (I think the time between 3 and 4 am is the time for ghosts.) He added, “Main 5 bajne ka wait karta hoon, phir kambal daal ke light jala ke sota hoon (I wait until 5 am, then I sleep with the blanket on and the light switched on)." When Shamani asked, “Kissi ne kaha hai ki 3 baje aate hain bhoot?” (Who told you that ghosts come at 3 am?), Rinku recalled an incident from the 2019 IPL season. Nitish Rana’s wife Sakshi, Andre Russell’s wife Jassym Lora and Piyush Chawla’s wife Annu once teamed up to prank him with a ghost story. Earlier that evening, the three had been discussing paranormal tales, which left Rinku on edge. Later, Rana casually asked him to fetch his phone from his room. A full scare plan had been set up without Rinku's knowledge. “Sakshi didi baal kohl ke bed pe hain ek dum, Jassym chadar odh ke thi and Annu bhabhi thi and unhone plan banaya hua tha poora.” (Sakshi didi had her hair loose on the bed, Jassym Lora was covered with a sheet, and Annu bhabhi was there too, they had planned everything perfectly.) Watch the video: An unsuspecting Rinku walked in holding a Coke. The moment he saw the three of them posed like ghosts, he bolted from the room screaming, “Papa, papa! (Dad, dad!)" “Main itna darr gaya ki maine Rana bhai ke room mei hi gadda daala and so gaya” (I was so scared that I dragged my mattress into Rana bhai’s room and slept there)." Despite the scare, Rinku fondly spoke of Rana and his wife, “Woh bohot acche couple hain, unhone bohot support kiya (They are a very nice couple; they supported me a lot)." When asked if he watches horror movies, Rinku said he usually avoids them. Whenever he does go to the theatre for one, he takes a cap with him, and whenever a jumpscare appears on the screen, he covers his face. Shamani then said that after watching Annabelle, he himself became scared of soft toys and doesn’t keep any at home because he fears they might get possessed.
