“Rinku Singh’s omission clearly indicates that statistics govern the sense of cricket… who in this selected Indian has been coming out at 16 and 17 in a t20 game in the last 2 years and playing fluently with a high strike rate and can win? “One game except Ravindra Jadeja… it’s a big mistake… quality should come before quantity and most importantly, cricketing skill should come before likeability on Instagram,” Rayudu wrote on X (previously known as Twitter).

The omission of Rinku Singh draws parallels with Ambati Rayudu’s experience. Rayudu was excluded from the 2019 World Cup squad despite having been part of the team for 2-3 years.

Rinku SIngh is a certainty in my 15 – Tom Moody

Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody stated that India could not select both Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh for the T20 World Cup squad. Moody noted that Singh would have been in the team if he could have bowled.

“The way I see it, it had nothing to do with form, it had a lot to do with the fact that Dube can bowl. If Rinku Singh could bowl, if they were both identical cricketers, batsmen left-handers who could bowl part-time “At medium pace, I would be in that team. The fact that Dube bowls gives them flexibility for different combinations and to balance his side with three or two spinners.”

India has the option to modify its 15-member squad until May 25, following ICC guidelines. Rinku Singh’s performance in the upcoming IPL 2024 matches could influence his chances of inclusion before the deadline.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: Sanju Samson issues official statement after being picked in the Indian team