Rinku Singh has not been selected in the Indian team for the five-match T20I series against South Africa. Rinku has scored for India in this format at an average of 42 and a strike rate of 162.

New Delhi: The Indian team for the T20 series against South Africa has been announced. Fifteen players have been selected under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav. The most surprising decision is the omission of Rinku Singh.Rinku Singh is considered one of the best finishers in the world in T20. He has a strong record for India, but despite this, Rinku has been left out of the team. The T20 series between India and South Africa will begin on December 9th.

Rinku was thrown out after being benched

Rinku Singh was part of the Indian team in the 2025 Asia Cup. He was benched in the Super Four after the group stage. In the final, he replaced the injured Hardik Pandya, and faced just one ball. He hit a four to help his team win. Following this, he was included in the playing eleven only in the final match of the Australia tour. Due to rain, the match was declared a draw in the fifth over, and Rinku did not get to bat.

Rinku has a strong record for India

Rinku Singh made his T20 debut for India in 2023. So far, he has scored 550 runs in 35 matches. Rinku's average is 42 and his strike rate is 161.76. He has scored three half-centuries and has hit 31 sixes in addition to 46 fours. Despite such records, Rinku is still unable to secure a place in the team. Overall, in T20 cricket, Rinku has scored 3309 runs in 172 matches at an average of around 34 and a strike rate of 148.

Team's focus is only on all-rounders

After Gautam Gambhir became head coach, Rinku Singh lost his preferred batting position. He primarily batted at number 5. He only got a chance at number 5 twice after Gambhir became head coach. He scored 53 runs in one match and 30 runs in another. In his last five innings, he has played at number 7 for India three times.

As with Tests and ODIs, Team India is focusing solely on all-rounders in T20Is. Only three batsmen have been selected for the squad: captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill, along with Tilak Verma. The other five all-rounders are Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar.

PC:NBT