Rinku Singh said captain Rohit Sharma had a lengthy chat with him after he was left out of India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad. Despite being one of the most prolific T20I performers not only in India but also in the world, Rinku did not find a place in the final 15 of India's T20 World Cup squad. He had to be content with a travelling reserve tag as the selectors and the Indian team management wanted an extra bowling option as backup for the injury-prone Hardik Pandya.
Shivam Dube, who had an excellent IPL 2024 for Chennai Super Kings, got the nod. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said Rinku's omission was the toughest choice for them. “(Not picking Rinku Singh) the toughest thing that we have to discuss. Rinku hasn’t done anything wrong," he had said.
As it turned out, Dube had a pretty decent World Cup with the bat, playing some crucial knocks in the middle order. India won the T20 World Cup, beating South Africa in the final, putting an end to their long wait for a world title.
Rinku recalls captain Rohit's words
As Rinku gears up for the home season, the left-hander said Rohit Sharma told him not to worry about missing out on a World Cup spot as he would get more chances in the near future.
"Haan woh (Rohit Sharma) aaye the samjane ki koi baat nahi, teri umar hi kya hai. World Cup aage bohut hai. Mehnat karte reh. Har do saal mein World Cup aata hai, uspe dhyaan de. Koi dikkat nahi hai, pareshan mat ho [He came to me and made me understand that it was okay; you are still very young. There will be many World Cups in the future. Keep working hard. There is a World Cup every two years, so focus on that. Don’t be disappointed]," Rinku quoted Rohit in an interview with News24.
{{/usCountry}}"Haan woh (Rohit Sharma) aaye the samjane ki koi baat nahi, teri umar hi kya hai. World Cup aage bohut hai. Mehnat karte reh. Har do saal mein World Cup aata hai, uspe dhyaan de. Koi dikkat nahi hai, pareshan mat ho [He came to me and made me understand that it was okay; you are still very young. There will be many World Cups in the future. Keep working hard. There is a World Cup every two years, so focus on that. Don’t be disappointed]," Rinku quoted Rohit in an interview with News24.
{{/usCountry}}The left-hander from Uttar Pradesh, who was surprisingly not named in any of the Duleep Trophy squads, continues to be one of the best finishers in T20 cricket. He should be an automatic choice for the three-match home T20I series against Bangladesh in October.
The 26-year-old said he admires the captaincy style of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
"I like Rohit Sharma's captaincy. I like Virat Kohli as well because aggression is very important while leading a team. So, his captaincy was also very good," Rinku stated.