Rinku Singh Reveals Rohit Sharma’s Secret Encouragement Talk

Rinku Singh Reveals Rohit Sharma’s Encouraging Words After T20 World Cup Omission

Batter Rinku Singh, despite his impressive performances, was not selected for India’s main squad of 15 players for the T20 World Cup 2024. Instead, he traveled with the team as a reserve player, a decision that surprised not only cricket fans but also many former players. The 26-year-old batter admitted that he was under significant stress following his exclusion. It was during this tough time that captain Rohit Sharma approached Rinku, offering words of encouragement and advising him to stay prepared for future opportunities. Rinku recently shared this private conversation during an interview with News24.

In the interview, Rinku said, “Yes, Rohit (Sharma) came to console me. He told me, ‘No worries, what’s your age? There are many World Cups ahead. Keep working hard, the World Cup comes every two years, just focus on that. No problem, don’t worry.’” For the T20 World Cup, all-rounder Shivam Dube, who had an outstanding performance for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2024, was preferred over Rinku. Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar later mentioned that not including Rinku in the team was one of the toughest decisions he had to make.

Rinku also praised the leadership styles of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, saying, “I really like Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. I also admire Virat Kohli because aggression is very important when leading a team. So, his captaincy was also very good.” It is noteworthy that under Rohit’s captaincy, India made history by winning the T20 World Cup. In a thrilling final played on June 29, India defeated South Africa by 7 runs.

This victory marked India’s first ICC trophy in 11 years and their first T20 World Cup title in 17 years. Following the T20 World Cup, Rohit, Virat, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20 International cricket. As for Rinku, he is currently focused on preparing for the domestic season. His last match for India was played on July 30 against Sri Lanka. The Indian team is currently on an extended break after the Sri Lanka tour, with their next series set to begin on September 19 against Bangladesh.