The formerly designated finisher, Rinku Singh has been facing snub from the selectors. Dropped after the T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, Rinku made a brief return for the Zimbabwe tour before facing the snub again. After India’s defeat in the fourth T20I of the series, former India opener Wasim Jaffer opined that Rinku is unfortunate that he can’t contribute with the ball. Jaffer understands why Rajat Patidar is not in the side, but he fails to comprehend why Rinku has been kept on the sidelines.
"If you look from a batter's perspective, Rinku is miles ahead of everyone else. He bats amazingly at number five and six, plus he is a left-hander. I feel it is very unfortunate that he is not part of this Indian team purely because he cannot bowl. I can understand Rajat's (Patidar) case, as he bats in the top order and there is no place there, but Rinku should be there," Rinku said.
"If you had Rinku in that position, you never know. He could have changed the game. He has the capacity and has won a lot of matches in franchise cricket in this manner," he added.
The last time Rinku played, he walked out to bat at no.6 and scored 25 runs from 14 balls against Zimbabwe. In 2026, Rinku scored 152 runs from 10 innings at an average of 24.33 and a strike rate of 139.44. His high score in T20I this year is 44 not out.
He was not at his best in the T20 World Cup 2026 and had a below-par Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vice-captain. The southpaw scored 295 runs from 11 innings at an average of 59 and a strike rate of 148.98, including two fifties.
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Jaffer on too much expectations from Dhir
Jaffer says India head coach Gautam Gambhir is being overly ambitious for tasking Naman Dhir with the opportunity to bowl four overs. Dhir took three wickets on his T20I debut, but he took two wickets in the next three T20Is combined. Dhir has also been used in powerplay overs, which Jaffer thinks is not the ideal period he should be bowling in.
"It is a bit difficult for off-spinners to bowl after the powerplay if you don't have variety. Roston Chase does it; credit to him. If you do not have that cleverness or variation, especially in India, it becomes very difficult. So to expect that Naman Dhir will bowl four overs is too ambitious," Jaffer said.
Dhir was named Washington Sundar’s replacement in the squad as the latter has been asked to prepare for the two-Test series in New Zealand. Sundar has been playing in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 and was named in the India A squad for the unofficial Test series on the New Zealand tour as well.
Rinku has rolled his arm in T20Is as well. He has bowled in just three T20I innings and bagged three wickets at an average of 6.33 and an economy rate of just over seven runs per over. He had focused on bowling off-spin as well but couldn’t impress the selectors and the team management.
Jaffer expects Dhir to contribute with cameos, which is critical to the role provided to him. In his debut T20I innings, he hit a four off the last ball. In Indore T20I, he scored 10 runs from five balls, followed by a golden duck in the Hyderabad T20I.
"I feel his performance with the bat is very important for him to play T20 cricket. Unfortunately, that has not happened in the last two matches, but he has the capability to come and play a quick 25-30 cameo," he further added.
Bhuvneshwar boost for T20I series final
With a win in Hyderabad, Shai Hope-led West Indies levelled the series 2-2. The final is scheduled to be played at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on October 17. On the eve of the final, the selectors have added Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the squad. Bhuvneshwar had already been picked in the T20I squad for the New Zealand tour, but his comeback was preponed following an injury to left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. In the fourth T20I, Arshdeep had copped a blow on his arm from Shamar Joseph’s bouncer in the final over. The left-handed batter walked off the field retired hurt.
India’s updated T20I squad for final vs West Indies
Shai Hope (w/c), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Keemo Paul, Shamar Springer, Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde.
Rinku slams ton in UP’s Ranji opener
Rinku is currently playing in the Ranji Trophy 2026-27. In his side's opening-round match, the Uttar Pradesh batter scored 112 from 168 balls. Uttar Pradesh registered a comprehensive win by an innings and 267 runs.
Before Ranji Trophy 2026, he registered scores of 60 and 20 for Central Zone against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026 semifinal.
Uttar Pradesh will play their second match at home against Goa starting October 18. The middle-order batter needs 131 more runs to complete 4,000 runs in first-class cricket.
Rinku wants to bust T20I specialist myth
Before the ongoing Ranji season, Rinku had expressed his ambitions to play red-ball cricket for India. He wants to break the perception of being just a T20I player.
"There is a bit of that perception that I’m just a one-format player. But you can look at my average in domestic cricket, whether it is in one-dayers or four-day matches. I have a dream of playing Test cricket for India as well. So, people should not view me as a single-format player. I can play all three formats, and I do play all three formats in domestic cricket. But for India, I play only one format at the moment,” the 29-year-old said.
Rinku is yet to receive his maiden Test call-up. He had made his ODI debut in December 2023 on South Africa tour. In two innings, he scored 55 runs at an average of 27.50 and a strike rate of 134.14.