NEW DELHI : Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that Rinku Singh should have been included in India’s 15-player squad for the T20 World Cup which will kick off in June.
On Tuesday, India announced their squad for the marquee event which will be held in the USA and the West Indies.
Rinku missed out on the squad and was included as a reserve player alongside Shubman Gill, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan. Harbhajan stated that Rinku should have been included in the squad as he possess the ability to change the complexion of the game on his own.
“I feel Rinku Singh should have been included in the team, a player who has the potential to change the game on his own and has not been included in the team is Rinku,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Last season, Rinku announced himself to the world in the previous IPL season with his influential performance as a finisher for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
He struck 474 runs in 14 matches at an impressive strike rate of 149.53 and at a batting average of 59.25.
However, this season, he has kept his strike rate high but has struggled to muster up runs. In nine matches, the left-handed batter has scored 123 runs at an average of 20.50.
In India’s hunt for World Cup glory, Rohit Sharma will lead India in the showpiece tournament, while Hardik Pandya will be his deputy.
India have added two wicket-keepers, including Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, to their squad. Star batter Virat Kohli, who has been slamming runs in the ongoing IPL 2024 has also been added into the squad.
Pant is set to make a comeback to team India, around 16 months after meeting with a car crash on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in Uttarakhand in 2022. India have opted for four spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal to their squad.
India will head into the tournament with the powerful pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah with Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj adding more boost.
India will begin their World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 05, 2024, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, followed by the marquee clash against Pakistan on June 09, 2024 at the same venue.
India will then play USA and Canada on June 12 and 15 respectively.India are placed in Group A of the tournament alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA.
Their campaign begins on 5 June against Ireland at the newly-constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York before they take on Pakistan in one of the most awaited matches of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj.
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan. (ANI)