As the fifth and final T20I between India and Australia approaches, former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra acknowledged that the rising left-handed batter, Rinku Singh, has indeed positioned himself as a contender for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
Despite exerting pressure on others, Rinku will face tough competition. The series, led by top-ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav, stands at 3-1 in favor of India, with Rinku emerging as a significant positive as the designated ‘finisher.’
In the JioCinema preview show for the India vs Australia 5th T20I, analyst Ashish Nehra discussed Rinku Singh’s potential inclusion in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup and delved into the factors contributing to India’s pace bowlers conceding a significant number of runs. Excerpts:
“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 is fighting for has many challengers. You can look at Jitesh Sharma (the wicketkeeper batsman) and Tilak Varma.”
“We will have to discuss the positions where Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya will play. So, we have to see how many spots are available in the 15-member squad.”
“But one thing is sure, he has opened everyone’s eyes and put everyone under pressure. But there is still a lot of time to go. The trip to South Africa is coming up followed by the IPL,” said Nehra.
Ashish Nehra discussed Rinku Singh’s potential inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad
In the nine T20Is played, Rinku has amassed 174 runs in five innings at an impressive average of 87.00 and a strike rate exceeding 197, achieving a top score of 46. His aggressive batting is evident in 16 fours and 11 sixes, facing 88 balls. Notably, he accumulated 130 runs solely through boundaries.
Shifting focus to bowling, Nehra noted that bowlers from both teams have conceded significant runs in the ongoing series. However, Mukesh Kumar has stood out as a major positive for India, showcasing precise yorkers, particularly in the death overs.
“The conditions for the first three matches were different and a lot of the bowlers have changed. Your experienced bowlers like Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested.”
”If you speak of Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar, they have just been introduced to international cricket,” said Nehra.
“And then we saw over 200 runs being scored in the first three matches. So, it is not that only the Indian bowlers leaked runs, even Australia’s bowlers have given away a lot of runs.”
“In these circumstances, Mukesh Kumar has been a big positive for India. The way he has bowled with wet balls, his execution of yorkers and bowling in the death overs has been terrific,” he concluded.
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