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"Not in your XI anyway": Ex-cricketer supports Rinku Singh's T20I snub for IND vs SA series

Soumyajit Dutta

Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya [Source: @arroganthardik/X.com]Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya [Source: @arroganthardik/X.com]

Ex-India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has backed the decision of the BCCI selectors to drop Rinku Singh from India's T20I squad against South Africa. 

Incidentally, Hardik Pandya, India's star all-rounder, is making his return to the game after recovering from a quadriceps injury that kept him out of cricket for two months. Kaif believes Rinku Singh's exclusion was compulsory.

Mohammad Kaif thinks Rinku was the easiest swap

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif voted for Rinku getting axed for Hardik while justifying that he was not in the plans of Indian management for the playing XI anyway.

“There is no one you could have removed with Hardik coming back. Sanju Samson in India during the World Cup will be solid. Jitesh has come in now. Even in the Asia Cup, Rinku did not play all the games. He was not in your XI anyway. The bowlers are doing well. There are many all-rounders. There was only one player who could have made way for Hardik to come in, and that was Rinku. There is no other reason. Rinku may feel it is unfair, but I am with the selectors here. Who else will you drop really?” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

As Kaif fixated on Rinku being the potential option to replace Hardik with, he also claimed that Rinku Singh's career is not over, and he will be playing all formats in just the next two years.

“Rinku’s time will come. Take it from me, he will be an all-format player for India in the future. You will see him playing all formats after two years,” Kaif shared.

Hardik Pandya has been a gem to India's T20I and ODI setup. The all-rounder has garnered 1860 runs and 98 wickets in the shortest format and has returned with good numbers in SMAT 2025 as well. 

Against Pune, while playing for Baroda, Hardik Pandya has scored 77 runs off 42 while scalping 1 wicket to announce his way into India's T20I setup for the upcoming assignment. India will face South Africa, led by Suryakumar Yadav, on December 9 for the 1st T20I clash.