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Rinku Singh returns home due to family emergency; Zimbabwe Super 8 T20 World Cup match uncertain
Rinku Singh was absent from India’s first training session at Chepauk on Tuesday.
India have been handed a major selection headache ahead of their must-win T20 World Cup Super 8 clash against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, with batter Rinku Singh returning home due to a family emergency.
The development, according to news agency PTI, came two days before the fixture. Rinku was reportedly absent from India’s first training session at Chepauk on Tuesday, while rest of the teammates were present at the nets.
"Rinku Singh has flown back home from Chennai due to a family emergency. He did not join India's practice session at the Chepauk," the source close to the development said.
There is currently no clarity on when, or if, he will rejoin the squad for the remainder of the tournament. The report added that Rinku's father Khanchand Singh is currently admitted in a hospital in Greater Noida and is in serious condition and hence the player had to rush back.
Rinku, a last-minute addition to the World Cup squad, has yet to live up to expectations. He scored just 24 runs in five innings thus far, which include a dismissal for a duck against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
If Rinku is unavailable for the game against Zimbabwe, India might go in with both Washington Sundar and Axar Patel in the line-up. That would keep the batting depth intact, while also giving captain Suryakumar Yadav a back-up bowling option. India could also go in with an attacking mindset, and pick a wicket-taking spin-bowling option in Kuldeep Yadav against Zimbabwe.
India are already under pressure after suffering a 76-run defeat to South Africa in their opening Super 8 match, their heaviest loss in World Cup history. They currently sit third in the Group 1 table behind West Indies and South Africa.
India, hence, not only have to beat Zimbabwe, they need to win by a big margin to flip their current net run rate of (-) 3.8. Not only do they need to also win against West Indies, in the scheduled Super 8 game in Kolkata on March 1, they need to also hope for South Africa to beat the Windies in their February 26 clash in Ahmedabad.
