Rinku Singh’s snub from India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad has raised questions. Last year, the Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer made a stellar debut in blues. In 15 T20I games, he has mustered 356 runs with an impressive average of 89. However, he didn’t find his name on the 15-man roster and instead has been named in the reserved players’ list.
“Hardik Pandya should’ve been the one to miss out”, says Danish Kaneria
Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria also expressed surprise at the BCCI’s decision not to include Rinku Singh in the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup. He further expressed astonishment at the selection of Hardik Pandya as vice-captain. Kaneria believes that considering Pandya’s recent form in the ongoing IPL season, he should have been excluded from the squad.
“India has a reputation of producing quality cricketers. In recent times Yashasvi Jaiswal and Angkrish Raghuvanshi are the prime examples of it. Mayank Yadav too has surprised everyone with his raw pace and so has Abhishek Sharma with his power-hitting capabilities. As far as Rinku’s case is concerned, I also feel that he should’ve been a part of India’s T20 WC squad.” Kaneria told Sports Now.
“If I take the ongoing IPL’s performances in consideration then Hardik Pandya should’ve been the one to miss out. He hasn’t shown consistency at all. You already have Shivam Dube who has been doing well for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Overall the squad looks good, but Dube and Rinku would’ve been a powerful combination for India down the order,” the former Pakistan cricketer added.
Nothing has gone right for Hardik Pandya since his trade to Mumbai Indians. He has failed to deliver as captain, with Mumbai Indians losing 7 out of their 11 games under his leadership so far, putting them on the edge of being knocked out of the playoffs race. Additionally, this year, he has not managed to score a single 50+ score in 11 games, accumulating only 198 runs with an average of 19.80.
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He is bowling his 4-over quota in the IPL as it was a condition set by selectors. They wanted to select Pandya as an all-rounder. However, his bowling performance in IPL 2024 has not been up to the mark, with a poor economy rate of 11. Despite this, selectors may have opted for him because there is currently no better fast-bowling all-rounder option available.