The Indian cricket team is all set to lock horns with West Indies in a multi-format tour commencing from July 12 with two Tests, followed by three ODIs and five T20Is. After unveiling India’s Test and ODI teams a few days back, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has now also announced the T20I squad of the Men in Blue for the Caribbean challenge.
Although the T20I squad released by the BCCI on Wednesday (July 5) featured many young players, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 sensation Rinku Singh was overlooked by the Indian selectors and couldn’t find a place for himself in the team.
It is worth mentioning that Rinku came out as an impressive finisher in the recently concluded IPL and attracted huge praise from fans and experts alike for his aggressive batting style in the T20 format. The 25-year-old amassed 474 runs in 14 matches representing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 16th edition of the cash-rich league. In the process, Rinku also etched his name into the history books by smashing five consecutive sixes in the last over of the second innings in a match against Gujarat Titans (GT).
However, despite such a great performance, Rinku failed to find a spot in India’s T20I squad. Whereas another young talent Tilak Varma from Mumbai Indians (MI), was given the much-deserved opportunity by the BCCI.
The snub of Rinku by the Indian board didn’t go down well with cricket enthusiasts, as they heavily criticized selectors over their decision. India’s veteran all-rounder Irfan Pathan also shared his reaction to Rinku being ignored and said that the time for the Uttar Pradesh cricketer will come soon.
“Rinku Singh’s time will come sooner…,” tweeted Irfan.
Rinku Singh’s time will come sooner…
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) July 5, 2023
Speaking of the other notable inclusion in the T20I set-up of India for the West Indies tour, Rajasthan Royals (RR) sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal has also received his maiden call-up to the team. Yashasvi had a dream IPL season earlier this year and scored 625 runs at an impressive average of 48.08.
