On Rinku Singh’s surprising omission from India’s 15-member squad for the Men’s T20 World Cup, former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody feels it happened mainly due to the balance of the team where they needed another all-rounder of spin bowling in Axar Patel. Rinku has played 15 T20Is for India since making his debut last year. He excelled primarily as a finisher, scoring 356 runs at a strike rate of 176.23. But in IPL 2024, he did not get ample batting opportunities for Kolkata Knight Riders – making 123 runs off 82 balls in eight innings, coming into the lower middle order with a strike rate of 150.
Rinku, however, is included in India’s traveling reserves for the T20 World Cup.
“With Rinku Singh, I don’t think it matters how many runs he gets in the rest of the IPL. It has to do with the balance on the Indian side, and Ajit Agarkar was actually very clear in the way he explained it. It’s just about the balance of the sides and Rinku Singh was left out simply because they wanted the extra versatile player in Axar Patel to give them flexibility around the number seven position.
“And also the option of playing three spinners. It has nothing else to do with it because, you know, he is facing Dubey. Dubey gives you the option of someone who can bowl at medium pace as a sixth bowling option. And you you need the two keepers. You can’t leave out any of the key players. You’re not leaving out Jaiswal, you’re not leaving out Rohit, you’re not leaving out Virat.
After speaking at Wednesday’s press conference alongside chief selector Ajit Agarkar, Rohit was seen communicating with Rinku at the Wankhede Stadium during KKR’s training session ahead of their clash against Mumbai Indians on Friday.
“That’s great leadership from Rohit Sharma. Making sure you’re open and honest and talking to the players, it’s easier to talk to someone when they’re included in the team. It’s always difficult to talk to someone who’s been left out, especially in these circumstances.”
“That’s why Rohit Sharma is so highly regarded in the group of players, is that he is a very, very good leader. And he has those interpersonal skills, which are so important in communication,” Moody added.
India have opted to have a bowling-heavy line-up in their World Cup squad comprising Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal due to the sluggish conditions expected to occur in the West Indies and the USA.
“I think they are signing spinners because they think spin will win. And it gives them the balance of not worrying about playing six out of seven specialist bowlers and batsmen. It allows them to play with an all-round spinner, in Axar Patel and Jadeja and Kuldeep as a strong spin bowler playing 11,” concluded Moody.
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