India’s squad for the T20 World Cup is yet to be announced but the discussions are rife about the players who would earn the ticket to the West Indies and the US. Former cricketers have started predicting the possible combinations and joining the bandwagon, former selector and 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes that Rinku Singh has to be a certainty in the team of 15 for the showpiece event.
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The left-hand batter hogged the limelight with five consecutive sixes in the final against Gujarat Titans last season, which he ended as KKR’s highest scorer with 474 runs and 4 fifties. His charismatic performance fast-tracked his career, handing him an India T20I debut later in the year. He accumulated 356 runs in 15 games, staying not out in seven of them at a high strike rate of 176.23. But this IPL season, Rinku has gotten limited chances with the KKR top order doing the bulk of the scoring. The left-hand batter has scored 112 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 157.74.
Speaking on Star Sports Press Room Show ‘Ticket to World Cup’, Srikkanth asserted that Rinku’s track record in India and overseas makes him a sure shot selection for the World Cup.
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“A classic example is Rinku Singh. Rinku Singh is a certainty in my 15. He hasn’t got that many opportunities to bat in the IPL but you see his international track record, it’s an amazing track record. Amazing track record in South Africa and with every opportunity he has got. So Rinku Singh has to be a certainty in the 15,” Srikkanth said.
“But if we go by recent form or opportunities, he hasn’t got enough opportunities. End of the day you’ve to forget who the player is and look at what is his track record. Is he a great player, is a deadly player, is he fit?
“So, Rinku Singh has to be a certainty, he has to get the Visa and he will fasten his seat belt to take the flight to the United States to play the game as one of the 15 members in the side,” he added.
Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden, who was also a part of the discussion, believes IPL has brought out a lot of Indian talent to the fore, who are now being talked about in the selection race of the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup.
“I tell you it’s a true credit to the IPL, that it gets so much headspace in terms of selection, for international cricket.
“It’s a testimony to how brilliant the competition is and it’s also a credit to the way the IPL has allowed its foreign players, to play and strengthen the tournament. I’m not sure there’s another across T20 cricket that’s equal. How good is it, because we have found Jaiswal and he’s just one of the many like Rinku who have been discovered by IPL cricket,” he added.
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