Rinku Singh Fit!! Will The KKR Star Walk Back Into The Playing XI? Who Will Sit Out?
Rinku Singh For India [Source: @WasimJaffer14/x.com]
India will face England in the fourth T20I of the five-match series at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. In what comes as a big relief to the Indian team management, Rinku Singh has been declared fit for the fourth T20I.
Notably, the finisher from Uttar Pradesh and the KKR star was ruled out of the 2nd and 3rd T20I of the series because of a lower back spasm. So, the probable comeback of the southpaw is a big relief for the Indian team management.
However, with Singh declared fit, a question arises - Will he make a direct entry into the playing XI? and If he does so, who will sit out from the playing combination from the third India vs England T20Is?
Why Rinku Singh Should Walk Back Into The Playing XI?
After the first match, India have lost one and won one of the two games. However, a common factor in both games was the fragility of the lower middle order. A look at the following table will make the claim clear -
Match | Score From | To Score | Wicket Cost |
---|---|---|---|
2nd Match | 58/2 | 78/5 | 3 wickets for 20 runs |
3rd Match | 31/1 | 85/5 | 4 wickets for 54 runs |
Table - Collapse India faced during the last 2 T20Is
So, if we see the table, then we can see that in both the matches India suffered a mini-collapse. As a result of this collapse, pressure increased on the batting line-up and it took an extra ordinary effort from Tilak Varma to win the second match, while they lost the third match.
The fact that India needed a proper finisher and a stable batter in the lower middle-order can be seen in this case. Thus, looking at the fragility in the finishing section, India might allow the immediate walk-in of Rinku Singh into the playing XI for the 4th T20I.
Who Can Rinku Singh Replace In The Playing XI From 3rd T20I?
India have preferred a spin heavy combination in the series so far. The management included Washington Sundar in the playing XI after Rinku Singh was ruled out from the second match. First of let us take a look at the performance of Washington Sundar in the last two matches -
Matches | Batting Performance | Bowling Performance |
---|---|---|
2nd T20I | 26 Runs off 19 Balls | 1 Over - 9 Runs for 1 Wicket |
3rd T20I | 6 Runs off 15 Balls | 1 Over - 15 Runs |
Table - Washington Sundar's performance in the last 2 T20Is
Why India Included Washington Sundar In The Side?
The prime reason to include Washington Sundar is the fact that he can add to the batting depth while bowling some valuable overs. However, in the two matches that he has played in the series, Sundar has bowled only a couple of overs and has conceded runs at an economy of 12, while picking up only one wicket.
If we see his batting, Sundar has scored 32 runs off 34 balls in the two matches at a strike rate of less that 100. Therefore the stats suggest that the prime reason for including him in the playing XI has been defeated.
Why Rinku Singh Should Be Preferred Over Washington Sundar?
Rinku Singh's rise to prominence was the unbelievable feat of hitting five sixes of last five deliveries in an IPL match to win KKR the game. This is a profound example of his abilities as a finisher.
Besides this feat, Rinku Singh has also performed for the team in crunch situations. If we see Singh's T20I records in the overs between 16-20, he has scored runs at an average of 38.8 while having a strike rate of 196.2. The numbers show that he is not only an accelerator in the death overs but also is a consistent performer. These facts are the biggest pros of having Rinku Singh in the batting line-up.
Conclusion
One of the main reasons behind Washington Sundar was the injury of Rinku Singh. Now that the batter is back and given the below par shows by the all-rounder, it makes perfect sense that Rinku walks back into the XI unobstructed. The return of Rinku will give depth to the Indian batting line-up and also allow them the flexibility to shift the batting order around as per the situation of the game.