Why is Rinku Singh not playing in IND vs SA 1st T20I? Check here
Rinku Singh misses out as India take on South Africa in the T20I series, starting from December 9 at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack. Rinku was a mainstay in the Indian middle-order in the past few years, however, he is not part of the T20I series against the Proteas.
India and South Africa lock horns in the first T20I of the five-match series at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9. The two teams look to fine-tune their preparations with the T20 World Cup fast approaching.
While the likes of Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya have made their returns to the national side, hard-hitting finisher Rinku Singh does not find his place in the T20I side for the series against the Proteas.
Why is Rinku Singh not playing in IND vs SA 1st T20I?
Surprisingly, Rinku Singh was not picked in India's squad for the five-match series against South Africa. He was a regular face in the middle-order, often relied on for the finishing job.
However, it seems that, with the Indian team favouring all-rounders, coupled with the lack of form for Rinku, the swashbuckling batter does not find his place in the squad. Although there was no reason given for his absence by the BCCI, and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav also did not reveal anything about the finisher's absence ahead of the series.
Coming to the first T20I, South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and inserted India to bat first. "We're going to bowl first. Expecting conditions to be good here in India. Quite a bit of dew around, might be a constant throughout the game, but might get a bit worse later. It's the way things work, lot of the games end up playing in the mind, you need to get yourself in the right frame of mind. Fantastic build-up to the World Cup. From a condition's point of view, it's going to be great. Can't simulate this in South Africa, looking to make the most of it," South Africa captain Markram said at the toss.
"We were a little confused looking at the wicket, it was looking a bit greener yesterday. Happy to bat first, want to make the most of it and defend. It (dew) becomes a little challenging for the bowlers, it is going to remain for a really long time," India skipper Suryakumar said at the toss.
"Let's not think about it, have it as a challenge. We had a good series in Australia, now we play against South Africa and then against New Zealand. It's good preparation. Want to enjoy it. It's a good headache to have. The guys missing out are Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana," he added.