Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has blasted the team management for overlooking batter Rinku Singh in the T20I setup, calling the situation “unfortunate”. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Jaffer argued that Rinku is one of the best middle-order batters in India, if not the best, given his ability to finish games down the order. Rinku has represented India in both ODIs and T20Is, but opportunities have reduced significantly for the southpaw over the past couple of years. There have been reports that head coach Gautam Gambhir does not view Rinku as a preferred middle-order option.
This year in T20Is, Rinku has made 152 runs in 13 matches and 10 innings at an average of 25.33 and a strike rate of 139.44, with best score of 44*. He has the capacity and has the capacity and has won a lot of matches in franchise cricket in this manner,” he added. “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. If you had Rinku in that position, you never know. He could have changed the game.
For KKR, Rinku scored 295 runs in 11 innings during IPL 2026, averaging 59 with the bat and a strike-rate of over 148.
Because he cannot bowl,” Jaffer said on his YouTube channel, i feel it’s very unfortunate that he isn’t part of this Indian team purely.
He also said that Rinku deserves a place in the team. Jaffer explained that the current team management prefers an extra all-rounder over a specialist batter in the middle order. “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. Jaffer also opened up on RCB captain Rajat Patidar ‘s non-selection, suggesting that it is difficult for the team management to accommodate another batter in the top order.
