Former India captain and chief selector Kris Srikkanth has shown extreme displeasure at the BCCI selection committee’s decision to leave Rinku Singh out of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.
The squad was announced on April 30 and the omission of Rinku Singh from India's T20 World Cup squad sparked outrage among cricket enthusiasts. Rinku's strike rate of 176 in 15 games for India till January 2024, which included two fifties, has not been enough to fetch him a spot in the main squad.
K Srikkanth didn't hold back in his criticism of the Indian selection committee's decision to omit Rinku Singh from India's T20 World Cup squad, labeling it as "rubbish" and asserting that the KKR batter had been unjustly made a scapegoat.
"I am not at all happy. C'mon all of you. Rinku Singh has been spoken about all over the world. He has performed in every opportunity he has got. How can you drop Rinku Singh? You drop anyone else, it doesn't matter. In my view, Rinku Singh should have been there, even if that meant you had to drop Yashasvi Jaiswal," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Srikkanth particularly highlighted Rinku Singh's significant contribution in pivotal matches, citing his role in turning around India's fortunes in challenging situations, such as the match against Afghanistan where he played a crucial knock alongside Rohit Sharma.
"He has played match-winning knocks in South Africa. Remember the game against Afghanistan in which Rohit scored a hundred? India was 22 for 4, and from there, they scored 212. Rinku played a crucial Knock. He has given his all whenever he played for India. This is rubbish, rubbish selection. Why do you need 4 spinners? All of them have to go? You have made the selection to please a few people and you have made Rinku Singh a scapegoat," Srikkanth added.
Rinku Singh's record for India in T20Is has been impressive, with 15 appearances providing 359 runs at an average of 89. Even more unexpected is his stunning rate of 176, which demonstrates his ability to score fast and decisively.
