T20 World Cup 2024: Internet outrage over Rinku Singh's squad exclusion

The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to exclude Rinku Singh from it's 15-member squad came across as a disappointment for cricket fans. 

The senior selection committee announced India's squad on April 30, however, Rinku Singh who is an established left-handed batter was sent to the squad of reserves alongside Shubman Gill, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan. 

On X, "Justice for Rinku Singh" was trending after the BCCI’s announcement even though the youngster was named in the reserves. India can still make changes to their provisional squad until May 25, a week before the start of the T20 World Cup.

While people across the country have been demanding justice for Rinku Singh, Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan also spoke out against Rinku Singh's omission, saying his consistency shouldn't have been ignored. 

Pathan wrote on X, “I think Rinku Singh’s recent past performance for Team India shouldn’t have been ignored.”

Interestingly, Rinku was pitted against Shivam Dube for the finisher's role in the T20 World Cup, before the BCCI announced their squad.

Rinku Singh’s names was amongst the most expected ones in the T20 World Cup squad. The 26-year-old, who showed incredible ability to bat at different gears has scored 356 runs, including 2 fifties in 15 T20Is. He also won an ODI deubt earlier in 2024 in South Africa as he scored 55 across 2 games. Rinku averages 89 in T20Is and has struck at a splendid rate of 176, executing the finisher's role to perfection and drawing comparisons to MS Dhoni.