Rinku Singh has been named in traveling reserves for T20 World Cup.
The 15-man squad was announced by BCCI on May 1 and featured Rohit Sharma as the captain of the side. The squad was well-balanced with good batters, all-rounders, spinners and pacers. However, one name was missing from it, which led to a huge uproar on social media.
That name was of Rinku Singh, who couldn’t cut the final 15 but was named as one of the four traveling reserves for the T20 World Cup 2024. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar would explain the reason behind the call and insisted it had nothing to do with the batter and was just down to combinations.
Rohit was seen talking to Rinku at the Wankhede stadium ahead of the KKR vs MI clash on May 3.
Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody was impressed with Rohit Sharma talking to Rinku Singh and called it great leadership from the Indian skipper.
"That's great leadership right there. Make sure you're upfront and honest. It's easier to speak to someone when they're included in the squad, it's always hard to speak to someone who has been left out. That's why Rohit Sharma is so highly regarded around the playing group. He is a very good leader. He's got those soft skills, which are so important around communication," said Moody on Star Sports.
Moody also said that it wasn't Rinku's fault that he was left out of the T20 World Cup squad. He said India wanted extra protection in batting and hence went with Akshar Patel, who gives Rohit Sharma a chance to play 3 spinners and a longer batting lineup.
"For Rinku Singh, it doesn't matter how many runs he gets in the rest of the IPL, it has to do with the balance of the side and Ajit Agarkar was actually clear in the way he explained it. Rinku Singh has been left out because they want the extra all-rounder in Axar Patel to give them the flexibility around that No.7 spot and also the option of playing 3 spinners. It has nothing else to do with Rinku," said Moody.