Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav once again decided to remain silent on cricketer Rinku Singh’s omission ahead of the South Africa T20I series. Rinku was not given a place in the eleven and was dropped from the team before the five-match series.
KKR’s left-handed batsman Rinku Singh, who was once a regular player of the Indian T-20 team, has not been given a chance in the Indian playing eleven in the last one year. The 28-year-old is currently playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and has been ruled out of the South Africa T20.
He has played only one game in the last few series, as he played in the Asia Cup final after Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the competition due to injury.
Suryakumar Yadav said, “So you can’t compare an all-rounder with a finisher.”
Recently, when Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav attended the pre-match press conference ahead of the first T20I in Cuttack, he was questioned over the lack of opportunities for Rinku Singh in the Indian T20I team.
“He is an all-rounder, so he and Hardik are all-rounders. So you can’t compare an all-rounder with a finisher. Who? Dubey is the other one. And the thing is, all the batsmen from three to seven are capable of batting in any position. So it depends on what the entry point of the batsman is. We have to be really flexible during that time,” Suryakumar Yadav said in the pre-match press conference.
Suryakumar Yadav immediately replied that the media personnel are also well aware by now of the team dynamics and the importance of all-rounders in the Indian playing XI under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir.
“And also, in terms of the team, it’s even before we know what the team will look like or not, but yes, more than likely the team and the team will look like this. It looks good, looks strong, so I’m very happy with it.”
“That’s what he brings to the fore: his experience” – Suryakumar Yadav on Shivam Dubey’s importance in the XI
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav praised Shivam Dubey and mentioned how Dubey’s special role with the ball helped India during the Asia Cup. He also said that Dubey has performed well on all the big occasions.
“I think what you saw in the Asia Cup as well – when he was bowling the new ball – it opened up a lot of options, a lot of combinations for us in terms of the playing XI. That’s what he brings to the table: his experience.”
“The way he has performed really well in all the matches, all the good games, all the big games – ICC events, ACC events – I think the experience will matter a lot. And his presence will definitely give a good balance to the team,” he said.
Rinku Singh’s stats after being dropped from the Indian T20I team
Here’s a look at Indian batsman Rinku Singh’s batting statistics after he was dropped from the Indian T20I squad. The batsman made his T20I debut in 2023 and has featured in 35 T20I games. Being not out 12 times, he often plays the role of finisher.
He has scored 550 runs in his T20 career and has an average of 42.30 and strike rate of 161.41. His highest score is 69* and he has three half-centuries in his career. In the last ten international innings, the batsman got very limited opportunities and scored 134 runs at an average of 16.74 and a strike rate of 128.84.
Also read: Suryakumar Yadav issues statement on inclusion of Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya in the eleven for the first T20 match
