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Team India's men's team's chief selector Ajit Agarkar broke his silence on the controversial omission of Rinku Singh from the 15-player squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The former Indian pacer stated that the left-handed batter missed out through no fault of his own as the Men in Blue desired an extra bowling option.
While Rinku is among the three players in the reserved list, his absence from the main squad has prompted backlash among the fans.
The left-hander averages an astonishing 89 in 15 T20Is, accumulating 356 runs after making his first appearance in 2023. He has two half-centuries to his name and has maintained a strike rate of 176.24.
Speaking at a presser on Thursday, Agarkar revealed that the management felt that going with an extra bowler would be beneficial. He explained:
"It was probably the toughest decision. Gill also for the matter. We have two terrific keepers. It is unfortunate that he missed. It is not his fault. We thought going ahead with an extra bowling option can come in handy. Unfortunately, we can only fill in 15 slots."
The 15-man squad saw the return of Yuzvendra Chahal, who got an opportunity after being among the wickets for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024. However, the selectors dropped KL Rahul and picked Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant as keepers.
Rinku Singh is yet to fire in IPL 2024
Meanwhile, Rinku Singh is yet to get a significant number of opportunities for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2024. He has only faced 82 deliveries in the eight innings he batted thus far, managing 123 runs at a strike rate of 150.
It was the southpaw's jaw-dropping exploit against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in IPL 2023 that was decisive in landing him an international cap.
The 26-year-old hammered five consecutive sixes off Yash Dayal's bowling when the Knight Riders required 28 runs off the last five deliveries. He finished the IPL 2023 season with over 400 runs to his name.
