"The World Cup is far away" - Ashish Nehra on whether Rinku Singh has staked a strong claim for a place in India's T20 World Cup squad
Ashish Nehra believes it's too early to say whether Rinku Singh has sealed his place in India's squad for next year's T20 World Cup.
On Friday, Rinku scored 46 runs off 29 deliveries in India's 20-run win in the fourth T20I against Australia in Raipur. The middle-order batter has smashed 99 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 190.38 and been dismissed just once in his three innings in the ongoing series.
During a discussion on JioCinema, Nehra was asked whether Rinku Singh has staked a strong claim for a place in India's T20 World Cup squad, to which he responded:
"The World Cup has come again. I am very unhappy with this World Cup. Just now the World Cup got over and another World Cup has come. When we are discussing who will be the captain, the players are a distant thing."
The former India pacer added:
"Yes, there is no doubt that Rinku Singh is a contender and he showed it once again, but the World Cup is far away and when you talk about that spot, there will be a very close fight. You can talk about Jitesh Sharma as the keeper. You can talk about Tilak Varma there."
Jitesh Sharma scored a blazing 19-ball 35 in Friday's game, his first match of the series. Tilak Varma, who wasn't part of the playing XI in the fourth T20I, aggregated 50 runs at a strike rate of 138.88 and was dismissed only once in his three innings in the series.
"It will have to be seen how many spots are available" - Ashish Nehra on Rinku Singh's place in India's T20 World Cup squad
![Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli haven't played T20I cricket since last year's T20 World Cup. [P/C: AP]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/12/947ad-17015003177933-1920.jpg?w=500)
Ashish Nehra pointed out that there is no clarity yet about whether Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still in contention for spots in the T20 World Cup squad. He said:
"We talk about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and after that, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. So it will have to be seen how many spots are available because only 15 players can play."
However, the cricketer-turned-commentator acknowledged that Rinku Singh has put forth his case with impressive performances. He stated:
"However, one thing is certain that this player has opened everyone's eyes and put everyone under pressure, that he is there and you need to pick him. But the destination is far away, you have the South African tour and the IPL."
Nehra concluded by saying that he expects Rinku to pass all his examinations, especially the one in South Africa, considering the way he is playing and the confidence he has shown.