For the upcoming tour of New Zealand, which will include two Tests, five Twenty20 Internationals, and five One-Day Internationals, none of India’s squads have Rinku Singh. On October 6, the Board of Control for Cricket in India revealed India’s T20I team; Rinku was conspicuously left out. On October 22, the five-match Twenty20 International series is set to start in Christchurch.
Aakash Chopra, a former Indian cricket player, has questioned Rinku’s exclusion, citing his impressive domestic and international records. Chopra emphasized Rinku’s recent performance and first-class statistics as justifications for reevaluating the choice. How many runs should my brother Rinku Singh score? In the last six innings, he has scored four hundreds. The guy was standing by himself on 118 while the rest of the team exited. I saw a list of the players with the highest First-class average with at least 50 innings; I believe it was.
The top person is Sir Don Bradman. Additionally, Sarfaraz Khan’s name appears on his YouTube channel, according to Chopra. A question is raised by Rinku Singh’s average of 61.33 in 78 innings. Are we handling Rinku Singh appropriately? They have branded him. A guy may occasionally be branded and labeled as a white-ball player who isn’t receiving full opportunities there. He was also mistreated, in my opinion, following the World Cup,” he continued.
Aakash Chopra’s critique of Rinku Singh’s selection and treatment strategy
Rinku last represented India in a T20I match against Zimbabwe in July 2026 and was a member of the team that won the 2026 T20 World Cup. Chopra emphasized that although Rinku has consistently performed at the international level when given the chance, selection issues still exist.
Rinku scored 100 not out against Goa and 112 against Bihar in the 2026–27 Ranji Trophy, making a compelling case for Test selection. He amassed 295 runs at a strike rate of 148.99 in 14 IPL 2026 games, including two fifties. Rinku scored four hundreds in his last six innings of domestic cricket, Chopra noted.
Chopra voiced his displeasure with the way Rinku has been handled internationally, especially with regard to his batting position and opportunities. The analyst questioned the player’s treatment following his World Cup participation as well as the consistency of the selection process. Nothing had been wrong with him. He used to bat down the order because of you. “He followed instructions to the letter,” Chopra remarked. Every time he had a chance to bat up the order, he scored runs. You abruptly left him out after that, and he is now the only one out. “That guy is just sitting out, while others are coming in and playing,” he continued.
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Concerns regarding India’s Test middle order depth were also voiced by Chopra, who also said that Rinku should be given a chance to play in the longer format. He pointed out that there is still uncertainty regarding the seventh spot in the batting order, even though India has established openers in KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal or Sai Sudharsan at number three, Shubman Gill at number four, Rishabh Pant at number five, and Dhruv Jurel at number six.
Then he plays first-class cricket, scoring so many runs that you ought to notice, but you don’t, and I’m curious as to why. There was a time when the middle order didn’t exist. But now that I’ve seen the Indian Test team, I think a spot could become available at any moment,” Chopra remarked.Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are your two openers. Shubman Gill is ranked fourth, Rishabh Pant is ranked fifth, Devdutt Padikkal/Sai Sudharsan is ranked third, and Dhruv Jurel is ranked sixth. The seventh is who? Nobody is being groomed by us. Sarfaraz Khan was just sent, but no one played him. We don’t even consider Rinku Singh. “I believe it is wrong,” he said.
