Rinku Singh was not picked in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup in June, raising many eyebrows.
India’s T20 World Cup squad was announced on Tuesday, with one of the major talking points being the absence of star batter Rinku Singh. The lower-middle order batter, known for his explosive hitting prowess, boasts of a strike rate of over 176 in 15 T20Is but didn’t find a place in the 15-member touring party; Rinku is, however, included in the reserves alongside Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed.
Rinku Singh playing for India during the T20I series against Australia(AFP)
Rinku’s exclusion has raised certain eyebrows, and former India batter Rohan Gavaskar, as well as star former opener and T20 World Cup winner Virender Sehwag, have also spoken in detail about the 26-year-old being dropped from the team. In a debate on Cricbuzz, Gavaskar insisted that a certain few players wouldn’t warrant a place in the squad if only IPL 2024 performances were the metric behind selection for the marquee global tournament.
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“If IPL 2024 is the metric, where has Mohammed Siraj picked wickets for RCB? Suryakumar Yadav… he was always in my team, and he should be there in T20 World Cup too. But even he hasn’t performed (for MI),” said Gavaskar junior.
Sehwag, reacting to Gavaskar’s remark, stated that certain players were picked on “reputation.”
“Some players are going there on reputation. Like Suryakumar, his reputation is that he is an explosive hitter. Yes, he can have bad days. Rinku Singh is also like him, the difference is that he is young and Suryakumar is experienced. And Indian selectors have preferred experience. Rinku is young, he can play later, too.
“We said after the previous World Cup that Rohit and Virat won’t play in 2024, but this time, I’m sure they won’t play the next,” said Sehwag.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli weren’t part of India’s T20I plans throughout the previous year but made a comeback to the side earlier this year in the series against Afghanistan. Hardik Pandya had led the side in Rohit’s absence in 2023 and was named the vice-captain for the World Cup in June.
‘Impact Player dropped Rinku’
Rohan Gavaskar also believed that the Impact Player rule hurt Rinku’s chances significantly. The rule allows the team to sub in an extra batter or bowler at any given point in the match; however, the rule has also limited the use of all-rounders. Shivam Dube, for example, is being used purely as a batter, and Gavaskar argued that had the rule not been in place, Dube could have showcased his bowling skills in the IPL, potentially bolstering his case for selection as an all-rounder in the Indian team as well.
“I believe the Impact Player has dropped Rinku Singh. If there was no Impact Player, we would know whether Shivam Dube is bowling or not and whether he could go as an all-rounder. If you were selecting Shivam Dube as an all-rounder, you might have taken a bowler less. And that would’ve created a space for a batter, and Rinku could’ve been selected,” said Gavaskar.
