Kanpur, Oct. 18 -- Rinku Singh went past former stalwarts Rahul Dravid, Saba Karim and current Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in India's all-time highest first-class averages, with a minimum of 50 innings after his recent exploits in the opening round of the Ranji Trophy.

Rinku roared to a sizzling 165* in first-class cricket for Uttar Pradesh against Andhra Pradesh, weeks before touring Australia for a five-match T20I series. With a batting masterclass, Rinku's first-class batting average has now soared to 54.68 to 57.39, the tenth highest all-time among Indian cricketers with a minimum of 50 innings.

After a valiant effort, Rinku eclipsed Dravid and Jadeja. In the overall tally, Vijay Merchant, who notched over 13,000 runs at an average...