He has featured in 33 T20Is for India.
There were multiple facets to the squad selection after it was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Fans, stalwarts and experts of the game went into a frenzy over the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal from the 15-man squad. Jaiswal has been included in the stand-by players along with four others. Shreyas Iyer did not get a place in the squad at all. After having two stellar Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons with two franchises, this is one of the last things the 30-year-old would have expected.
His teammate from the previous franchise has earned a spot in India’s squad. The Asia Cup 2025 is set to be hosted by UAE, and will be played from September 9. After Shubman Gill’s inclusion into the squad as a vice-captain, the debate for the top-order has heated up. The likes of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill will all be competing for the same position.
Rinku Singh, in an interview with The Times of India, spoke about his role in the team. The left-handed batter took the opportunity to state that he should not be looked at only as a finisher. Rinku stressed that he has the game to build an innings and can also bat very well in the middle-order. However, with the Indian team having players like Hardik Pandya and Jitesh Sharma in the middle-order, one can debate what position Rinku Singh will bat in the upcoming tournament.
“I’m not a finisher. In IPL 2023, I played at number 5 and scored runs for my team. When I played for India, I also batted at number 5 and made three [two] fifties”, said the left-handed explosive batter.
The 27-year-old left-handed batter has proved himself at the highest stage. His five sixes to Yash Dayal in the final over of the match in Ahmedabad was when his career took off. The match winner for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has played 33 T20Is for India. And he has been a force to reckon with. He has scored 546 runs at an average of 42, and also holds a strike-rate of 161.06, which is massive.
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He has played most of his innings at the No.5 and No.6 positions, and has scored heaps of runs at those two spots. After his heroics in the IPL, it is no wonder that Rinku is being considered as a finisher. He surely possesses the skills to finish games. But due to his explosiveness, his calculated approach can take the back seat. He has scored 286 runs at No.5 with a strike-rate of 165.31. But if India are to play Rinku Singh at No.5, they will have to push someone like Hardik Pandya further down. And that might not be possible due to the balance of the squad.
Moreover, his stats suggest that No.5 is the most suited position for him in the shortest format. While he played at the same position for his franchise and achieved tremendous success at the same spot. India have a balanced squad for the Asia Cup 2025. They are clearly one of the favourites to go all the way in the tournament.
