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Aakash Chopra has lauded Rinku Singh for bailing India out of trouble in the second T20I against Bangladesh in Delhi on Wednesday, October 9. He said the left-handed batter should have been part of India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad.
Rinku smashed 53 runs off 29 deliveries as India set Bangladesh a 222-run target. The Men in Blue then restricted the Bangla Tigers to 135 for nine to register an emphatic 86-run win and take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' he opined that Rinku has been treated unfairly.
"Rinku Singh's story is very interesting. No matter how much you talk about him, it's less. I feel full justice is not being done with him. He should have logically been in the T20 World Cup squad because if you had seen his performances in the last year prior to the World Cup, he was outstanding," he reasoned (4:35).
The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that the Uttar Pradesh batter has invariably bailed India out of difficult situations.
"He has done well wherever and whenever he has played. He gets to bat whenever the Indian team is struggling, whether it's against Afghanistan, South Africa or Bangladesh. He has scored a half-century every time and then if you see his strike rate in those innings, you will say outstanding," Chopra observed.
"It means he is scoring runs, stabilizing the innings, doesn't let wickets fall, stops the collapse, and then the strike rate is so good that you reach an above-par score despite early losses. You have phenomenal ability," the former India batter added.
Rinku Singh walked out to bat when India were reduced to 41/3 in the sixth over. He added 108 runs for the fourth wicket with Nitish Kumar Reddy (74 off 34) to change the game's momentum.
"The curse of being versatile is that you are quickly moved up and down the order" - Aakash Chopra on Rinku Singh
In the same video, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Rinku Singh has suffered because of his versatility.
"We say many times that sport shows your character. Sport makes and shows your character. His temperament is outstanding. The curse of being versatile is that you are quickly moved up and down the order. He is asked to move up the order if there is a collapse, and is not sent at all and asked to play the finisher's role on other occasions," he explained (5:25).
The former India opener added that Suryakumar Yadav and company should invest more in the 26-year-old.
"Since he can do both jobs, at times, you shuffle him so much that the stability and continuity don't come. When that doesn't come, performing consistently in the T20 format is tough because there are more failures than successes. The Indian team should invest more in him," Chopra reasoned.
Chopra urged the team management to convey to Rinku that he is part of their plans. He pointed out that the Kolkata Knight Riders player is absolute gold dust, adding that he would give him thumbs up with both hands for Wednesday's knock.
