Ashish Nehra thinks we shouldn’t rush to decide if Rinku Singh has locked in his position for next year’s T20 World Cup squad of India.
Rinku hit 46 runs off 29 deliveries in India’s 20-run victory over Australia in the fourth T20I in Raipur on Friday. In the current series, the middle-order batsman has pounded 99 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 190.38 and has been struck out only once in three innings.
During a JioCinema discussion, Nehra was questioned if Rinku Singh had made a solid case for a spot in India’s T20 World Cup team, to which he replied:
“The World Cup has come again. I am very unhappy with this World Cup. Just now the World Cup got over and another World Cup has come. When we are discussing who will be the captain, the players are a distant thing.”
Ashish Nehra
The former India pacer added:
“Yes, there is no doubt that Rinku Singh is a contender and he showed it once again, but the World Cup is far away and when you talk about that spot, there will be a very close fight. You can talk about Jitesh Sharma as the keeper. You can talk about Tilak Varma there.”
Ashish Nehra
Jitesh Sharma smashed a 19-ball 35 in his opening match of the series on Friday. Tilak Varma, who did not participate in the fourth T20I, scored 50 runs with a strike rate of 138.88 and was removed only once in three innings during the series.
“It will have to be seen how many spots are available” – Ashish Nehra comments on Rinku Singh’s place in India’s T20 World Cup squad
Ashish Nehra mentioned that it’s still not clear if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will make it into the T20 World Cup team. He stated:
“We talk about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and after that, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. So it will have to be seen how many spots are available because only 15 players can play.”
Ashish Nehra
However, the cricketer-turned-commentator admitted that Rinku Singh had made his case via outstanding performances. He stated:
“However, one thing is certain that this player has opened everyone’s eyes and put everyone under pressure, that he is there and you need to pick him. But the destination is far away, you have the South African tour and the IPL.”
Ashish Nehra
Nehra continued by stating that he expects Rinku will pass all of his exams, particularly the one in South Africa, based on the manner he is playing and the confidence he has demonstrated.
