Despite missing the services of seasoned campaigners, India will expect to put on an improved show in the final T20I of the 5-match series against Australia on Sunday. Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer returned to the T20I side for the last two games of the Australia series. While a returning Iyer only managed to score 8 off 7 balls, rising star Rinku Singh continued his exceptional run in the Australia T20Is.
The middle-order batter top-scored for India in the penultimate match of the series. Rinku was once again praised by former India pacer Ashish Nehra for his batting exploits against the Aussies in the five-game series. Talking about Rinku in the lead-up to the final encounter of the Australia series, Nehra said that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star is a contender for a spot in India's T20 World Cup squad.
‘Rinku is a contender for T20 World Cup but…’
However, Nehra also observed that Rinku will face a stiff challenge for the same position at the T20 World Cup. "There is no doubt that Rinku Singh is a contender for inclusion in India's T20 World Cup squad. But the World Cup is still far away and the spot he's fighting for has many challengers. You can look at Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper-batter) and Tilak Varma. We'll have to discuss the positions where Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya will play," Nehra told JioCinema.
'Rinku has opened everyone's eyes'
{{/usCountry}}However, Nehra also observed that Rinku will face a stiff challenge for the same position at the T20 World Cup. "There is no doubt that Rinku Singh is a contender for inclusion in India's T20 World Cup squad. But the World Cup is still far away and the spot he's fighting for has many challengers. You can look at Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper-batter) and Tilak Varma. We'll have to discuss the positions where Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya will play," Nehra told JioCinema.
'Rinku has opened everyone's eyes'
{{/usCountry}}The former India pacer also believes that Rinku's performances in the Indian jersey have opened everyone's eyes. The KKR batter has been retained by the two-time champions for the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With Suryakumar Yadav leading the Indian T20I squad, Rinku has been picked for the South Africa series."So, we have to see how many spots are available in the 15-member squad. But one thing is sure, he (Rinku) has opened everyone's eyes and put everyone under pressure. But there's still a lot of time to go. The trip to South Africa is coming up followed by the IPL," Nehra added.