Chairman of selectors explained the reasons behind Rinku Singh and KL Rahul’s exclusion from the T20 WC squad on Thursday.
Dropping Rinku Singh from India’s T20 World Cup 2024 was the toughest call for the management, according to Men’s Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar.
Addressing the media at the BCCI headquarters alongside India captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday, Agarkar said the left-handed Rinku missed out due to the overall composition of the squad that the Indian management was vying for.
“It’s the toughest thing we had to decide. It’s not his fault, or it’s not anything that he has done wrong or Shubman (Gill) for that matter. But we wanted as many options as possible in the squad. We felt that another extra bowling option in the squad would come in handy,” Agarkar remarked.
READ: Rohit-Agarkar press conference updates
Rinku’s snub from the squad was deemed as a glaring mistake after the southpaw had revelled as a designated finisher for India since his debut in 2023. In 15 T20Is, the 26-year-old has slammed 356 runs at a stunning 176.23 strike rate with an average of 89. However, Rinku has been short on game time in the IPL 2024 with the Kolkata Knight Riders, after slotting in deep in the batting order.
“Like Rohit said, we don’t know much about the conditions yet. Tough on Rinku, but we can only pick 15 in the squad. But he is in the reserves, so that’s how close he was,” Agarkar added.
🎙️The press conference commences at the BCCI HQ 📍#TeamIndia Captain Rohit Sharma and Mr. Ajit Agarkar, Chairman of Men’s Selection Committee are here 🙌#T20WorldCup | @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/jwGOuCdgi1
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 2, 2024
KL misses out to middle-order options
Wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul was another name in a three-way tussle alongside Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson for the two likely spots in the 15. However, Rahul who has not played a T20I since India’s debacle at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, eventually failed to make the cut.
Agarkar reasoned that the Lucknow Super Giants batter was pipped by Samson and Pant due to their presence in the middle-order.
“KL Rahul has been opening in the IPL. We were mainly looking for middle-order options. So, we felt that Samson and Pant are better suited for that. Samson can bat anywhere in the lineup. It was just about what we needed and not about who was better,” Agarkar said.
