The much-awaited 15-member Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 was announced on Tuesday (April 30). As expected, Rohit Sharma will lead the team in the main competition while all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be his deputy.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been selected as Rohit’s opening partner while Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav will look after the number three and four positions respectively. Shivam Dube will be another middle-order option. For the wicketkeeper’s position, the selectors picked Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson while ignoring players like KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma.
Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja have been selected as all-rounders and will be the other spin options alongside frontline spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. The pace department includes only three frontline pacers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. Pandya and Dube will be the other seam bowling options.
Rinku Singh missed:
The selectors have caused quite a stir for not including Rinku Singh in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup. The left-handed batsman seemed on track to qualify for the mega event after impressing in the IPL and as an international cricketer last year.
However, the panel led by Ajit Agarkar decided against including him in the squad. Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan have been added to the reserves. Rinku had impressed everyone with his finishing skills in the IPL last year.
He played for the Kolkata Knight Riders and scored 474 runs in 16 matches with the help of four half-centuries. He averaged close to 60 runs and had a strike rate of 150. The impressive performance in the IPL earned him his first India call-up and he also took off in international cricket.
In 15 T20Is so far, he has scored 356 runs at a staggering average of 89 and a strike rate of over 176. However, the impressive performances were not enough for Rinku Singh to qualify for the T20 World Cup this time.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Rinku Singh’s omission from the Indian squad:
The last time India played a T20I 🤯
Justice for Rinku Singh! pic.twitter.com/3VtUa0LOQ3
– Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) April 30, 2024
KKR is mainly the reason – selection partly – number 6 KKR seriously 👀
— Rohit Juglan Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) April 30, 2024
Sorry Rinku Singh, we let you down.
– Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) April 30, 2024
Rinku Singh can easily fit into any team’s playing XI, but not this clown’s 15-man squad
💔 pic.twitter.com/EQiYW9qu1H– Shivani (@meme_ki_diwani) April 30, 2024
If you find out that Rinku Singh has an average of 89 and a strike rate of 176, he is not in the World Cup squad pic.twitter.com/0LEeHGKPFs
– Sagar (@sagarcasm) April 30, 2024
I feel sorry for Rinku Singh. They took advantage of every opportunity that came their way and still got eliminated from the T20 World Cup. He is currently our best finisher. pic.twitter.com/J6LrWitJMD
– RATNISH (@LoyalSachinFan) April 30, 2024
I think Rinku Singh’s recent performance in the past for Team India should not have been ignored.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 30, 2024
India’s squad for the T20 World Cup:
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