Rinku Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad in consideration for T20I series against Ireland - Reports
Following their omission from the T20I squad for the West Indies tour by the new-look selection committee, emerging players like Rinku Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be rewarded for their exploits during the three-match T20I series against Ireland.
The Men in Blue are scheduled to tour Ireland after their assignment in the Caribbean, with the matches being scheduled for August 18, 20, and 23. The selection committee announced a 15-man squad for the five-match T20I series against the Windies after Ajit Agarkar took charge as the chairman.
Players like Tilak Verma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Mukesh Kumar received their maiden T20I call-up, while senior members Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were once again left out.
A BCCI source confirmed that the candidates who missed out on the West Indies tour will be named in the squad for the Ireland series.
"Rinku and other players who did well in the IPL will fly to Ireland as the selection committee doesn’t want to try everyone at one stage. There are seven players of the Indian ODI team who are not going to play T20 as those players are key for us going ahead as they will be playing Asia Cup in late August," he told the Indian Express.
The selection committee also held its first meeting following the arrival of Agarkar as chairman. The members have reportedly asked the BCCI to arrange more tours for India A side for better screening when the time comes for selection.
The committee hopes to include fringe players in the 'A' setup, before calling them up to the senior squad.
Rinku Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad were among the top batters in IPL 2023
Rinku Singh had a stellar 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The left-handed batter was a reliable presence in the middle order and single-handedly led the team to victory, which includes the near-impossible effort against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad. Rinku finished the season with 474 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 149.53.
On the other hand, Ruturaj Gaikwad has played nine T20I matches so far, with his last appearance coming against Ireland in 2022. The right-handed batter has not been at his best in the shortest format in national colors, managing only 135 runs at a strike rate of 123.85 to show for his efforts.
However, a stellar IPL 2023 campaign with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has warranted his return to the senior squad. He scored 590 runs at a strike rate of 147.50 and played a huge hand in the franchise's title-winning run.