Rinku Singh’s name missing from the Indian squad for the West Indies T20Is series was one of the biggest talking points when the BCCI announced the same on July 5, 2023. India is set to play two Tests, 3 ODIs, and five T20Is on their tour of the Caribbean and the USA.
Hailing from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rinku Singh made everyone sit up and take notice during the IPL 2022 with his ability to hit sixes and finish matches. He upped the ante in IPL 2023, giving the fans one highlight reel moment after another.
The most talked about was his five sixes in five balls to Yash Dayal to win KKR a match they shouldn’t have against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
The fans and experts were demanding Rinku to be included in the next T20Is series India played after the IPL and were crushed when his name was missing despite the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, and Mukesh Kumar were included.
Even former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that Rinku Singh would have been a better choice over Tilak Varma in the Indian team. He said that unless Tilak Varma bats in the top order, Rinku Singh would’ve been a better finisher to play after Hardik Pandya.
“In the middle order – Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya. I don’t think the team is thinking of playing Tilak Varma at No. 3. If they were searching for a player to bat after Hardik Pandya, then Rinku Singh could have been a better choice unless Tilak Varma will play at No. 3,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
On why Tilak may not get to bat at No 3, Chopra explained: “You might want to play Tilak Varma down the order because whether it is Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson, the two wicketkeepers you have picked, their best place for batting is in the top three.”
Rinku’s coach Masood Amini was a little disappointed with his ward missing out on an India call-up, but he strongly believes that it’s not the end of the road.
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“Afsos to tha hi. A few other boys [Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal] were selected. But he should’ve been there too. He must have been hoping the same. But I’m sure, the non-selection won’t bother him much. He would say, ‘Koi baat nahi, mehnat karunga, aur kya’.
He won’t give up. Wo mehnat karega, aur achha karne ki koshish karega. I think he would figure out where did he miss out on a spot in the Indian team,” Amini told News18.
Asked if Rinku’s recent achievements made the fans over-expect, Amini didn’t deny it.
“It could be a possibility. The media has portrayed him as a big player. So, people are now thinking the same way,” Amini said.
Amini further said that as far as Rinku’s aspirations are concerned, he is more inclined towards playing Tests and ODIs for India.
“My gut feeling says, not T20Is but he will play Tests and ODIs for India. Rinku himself aims at representing the country in these two formats, especially the longer format. “Asli cricket to wahi hai… Test cricket,” Amini concluded.
