The father of Indian batsman Rinku Singh said Wednesday that the family was heartbroken after his son was named only as a reserve for the upcoming T20 World Cup squad.
Rinku, a left-handed batsman known for his aggressive strokeplay, was not among the final 15 players selected by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the June tournament. He was included in the list of four reserve players alongside Shubman Gill, Khaleel Ahmed, and Avesh Khan.
Khanchandra Singh, Rinku's father, revealed that the family had prepared to celebrate his selection. "Ummedein to bohot thi, hum mithai, patakhe laye they, socha tha wo 11 main khelega. Isliye thoda dukh bhi hai (We had hopes and brought sweets and crackers to celebrate his selection. We felt that he would get a chance in the playing XI during the tournament. That is why we are a little disappointed)," Khanchandra said in an interview with Bharat 24.
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Khanchandra added that Rinku was heartbroken after learning he wasn't selected. "He is very disappointed," he said. "He spoke to his mother and informed her that his name wasn't there."
Rinku's exclusion surprised many fans and experts. He made his international debut last year and has scored 356 runs in 15 T20Is at a healthy average of 89 and a strike rate of over 176. However, his limited opportunities with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing IPL season might have hampered his chances.
The BCCI selectors opted for Shivam Dube, another left-handed batsman, who has been in consistent form for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024.
India's T20 World Cup Squad:
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Virat Kohli
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Hardik Pandya (vc)
- Shivam Dube
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Arshdeep Singh
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
Reserves:
- Shubman Gill
- Rinku Singh
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Avesh Khan
