The man-in-charge of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, said it was tough to leave out Rinku Singh from India's Twenty20 World Cup squad. Despite Singh's excellent performances, Agarkar said the decision was tough "despite the excellent form shown by Rinku." Singh belongs to Aligarh and was overlooked for Mumbai Indians' Shivam Dube.
Singh's miss was all the more controversial as he had emerged as a monster in T20Is, scoring 356 runs at a remarkable average of 89 and a strike rate of 176.24. Agarkar said, "It is probably the toughest thing we have had to discuss. He has done nothing wrong, not even Shubman Gill for that matter. It is not his fault that he missed out. It's about combinations."
Singh's case was the closest even though he was chosen among the reserves. Agarkar explained that the selectors were looking for more wrist spinners to help Rohit Sharma and the need for an additional bowler. Though Singh was picked in the reserves, Agarkar underlined the limitations of picking a squad. "But at the end of the day, you can only pick 15 players in the squad," Agarkar said.
Singh's IPL season hasn't been as good. The reason is simple—he got few opportunities to bat. Despite that, he managed to get into the reserves. Last year, he was fast included in the Indian T20I after a stunning IPL performance. This season, he has managed only 123 runs from nine matches and his strike rate is 150.00.
On the other hand, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill, continuing his good form in the IPL, has scored 320 runs from 10 matches at a strike rate of 140.97. But the selectors went for left-handed Yashasvi Jaiswal from Punjab Kings.
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