Overview:
Washington Sundar has replaced Rinku for the upcoming series against the Proteas, a move which shows the team management’s preference for the all-rounders.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has reacted to the exclusion of Rinku Singh from the T20I team for the five-match series against South Africa. Rinku had hit a winning boundary in India’s Asia Cup final win over Pakistan, but he was dropped from the squad. The southpaw was a part of the Indian squad for the series in Australia, but he was benched for four games. He featured in the Playing XI once, but that contest was called off due to rain in Brisbane. Rinku didn’t even get a chance to bat.
Washington Sundar has replaced Rinku for the upcoming series against the Proteas, a move which shows the team management’s preference for the all-rounders.
Pathan felt that Hardik Pandya’s return to the team cost Rinku his place and added that the squad selected for South Africa is likely to play in next year’s T20 World Cup.
“Rinku Singh was not selected because Hardik Pandya returned to the side. Rinku is unfortunate, but this was obvious. This squad is 90-95% of what India will take to the T20 World Cup in 2026,” Pathan said.
Pathan also opined on the Men in Blue’s decisions around fast bowlers, all-rounders and spinners. “Hardik’s role will be crucial for Team India’s performance in the World Cup. Hardik and the other finishers will have to play key roles, and their performances will decide whether India wins the trophy or not. India will have to decide whether to go with Bumrah, Shivam Dube and Hardik along with Axar, Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy,” he added.
India are the defending champions, having won the T20 World Cup trophy in 2024 under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. The veteran took retirement after leading the team to success in the USA and the West Indies. Suryakumar Yadav replaced him as skipper in the shortest format of the game.
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