The announcement of India’s T20 squad for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa has sparked widespread debate among fans and analysts, with the most notable topic of discussion being the omission of the finisher. Rinku SinghRinku, who recently featured in the T20I tour of Australia, has now been dropped from the team, raising questions over form, balance and selection strategy,
Why was Rinku Singh not selected in India’s T20I team for South Africa?
While Rinku had an explosive start to her Indian career, the last 12 months have seen her numbers decline significantly. In his last 17 T20Is, he has batted in only 11 innings, scoring only one half-century and above 30 only once.
A series of short, single-figure cameos – often involving only a handful of balls – prevented him from building consistent rhythm. Analysts say that since the home series against England in early 2025, Rinku has not got a chance to stay at the crease for a long time for India, while his domestic performances in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the recent T20 tournament have been solid, but not as explosive as his breakout phase. With competition intensifying to fill roles, the fall weakened his case.
One of the biggest selection themes for the South Africa T20Is has been India’s emphasis on multi-dimensional players. The 15-member squad includes four all-rounders – Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar – who provide the team with more bowling options and tactical flexibility on different Indian pitches.
With Hardik returning from injury and Dubey set to reclaim the finisher role, the selectors have chosen Sundar to fill the No. 7-8 floater-finisher slot. Sundar provides both off-spin and late-order hitting, providing dual utility that Rinku, as a pure middle-order batsman, cannot replicate.
With only 15 squad places, specialists without secondary skills were always going to face pressure, and Rinku appears to have been left out of India’s priority over all-round balance.
Also, the selectors want Rinku to play the entire domestic season rather than risk extended bench time in the series, where India are aiming to retain a largely settled XI. This is in line with India’s selection approach ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, where consistent domestic performances are being given heavy importance.
This has also been indicated in some reports Rinku’s upcoming weddingReportedly scheduled for mid-December 2025, this may have affected availability discussions. Although not officially confirmed, it is understood that the player may have requested personal time off – another factor that may have reduced his chances of selection for the South Africa series.
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India’s T20I squad for South Africa series
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill* (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakraborty, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar.
*Note: Subject to fitness clearance from BCCI Center of Excellence
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