What is clear from these statements is that the 26-year-old batsman from Aligarh is not considered an automatic selection. Instead, he was considered at best the last possible player in the 15-man squad and was later sent to the reserves.
This is why such a thought process is wrong.india won T20 World Cup The first and last time was in 2007, the year before last intense pulsed light arrived. In the seven editions of the tournament since then, it has only reached the final once (2014) and the semi-finals twice (2016 and 2022). England, West Indies and even Pakistan and Sri Lanka all have better records than India.
The key reason behind these defeats was the team’s inability to play their best cricket in the high-pressure knockout tournament of the World Cup. Most of the players considered essential by the selectors are those who have failed to perform time and time again in these games.
This is why India needs a priority policy. The journeyman technician emerged from the shadows and captured the nation’s attention, pulling out wins from near-impossible circumstances to become India’s elusive 911 man in the 2023 IPL and recent T20Is. Judging from recent international performance, and comparing and evaluating his temperament in difficult situations with other so-called “can’t give up” people, his choice should be the easiest decision to make, not the “most difficult” decision. In T20Is, especially in tough situations, how many proven (not on paper) finishers does this team have in the lower batting order?
Let’s let the hard statistics speak for themselves. Rinku played 15 T20Is, batting 11 innings, and remained unbeaten in 7 matches. He has a strike rate of 176; an average of 89. express dissatisfaction.
His freewheeling unbeaten 37 off 14 balls gave India an edge in the crucial match against Nepal at the Asian Games. Nepal scored 179/9; India won by just 23 runs and in retrospect, Rinku’s input was crucial.
Rinku blitzed 9 balls to score an unbeaten 31 against Australia in Thiruvananthapuram in November last year. This game highlighted that he can get into fifth gear immediately. In the same series, he had 46 smashes from 29 balls, the highest score in the team, and the second highest run rate. India won that match too. Then again, against South Africa in remote Gbeha in December last year, he scored 68 goals from 39 balls, setting the team’s highest scoring rate.
In his last international match against Afghanistan in Bengaluru in January this year, Linku performed brilliantly in tough circumstances. He changed the game when he combined with Rohit Sharma to put up an unbeaten 190-run stand as India posted 22/4. An unbeaten 121 (out of 69) in a nerve-wracking match, but he couldn’t do it.
In all these bats as well as in IPL 2023, Rinku’s batting has shown composure, power and situational awareness. He found a way to outsmart pitchers, adjusting his shot to the situation.
If Rinku’s recent IPL form is a reason for his absence, what about several other players who have been selected? Beyond that, the selection logic lacks consistency. If Dube is averaging close to 40 in T20Is with a strike rate of 145, and if his stellar performance in the IPL is paying off, then why is medium-pacer T Natarajan not even in the reserves. His current IPL statistics – wickets, economy rate, strike rate – as well as his ball-handling and bowling abilities are better than those of the selected players.
The Indian team may or may not perform well in the upcoming World Cup in June. But whatever the outcome, Linku Singh’s absence remains a grave injustice.
