IND vs WI: Why did Rinku Singh miss T20 World Cup 2026 match 52?
(Courtesy : BCCI)
Rinku Singh was not part of India’s previous game against Zimbabwe.
India are clashing with the West Indies in their last match of the Super 8 round in the T20 World Cup 2026. The IND vs WI match got underway at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 1 (Sunday).
The encounter against the West Indies is a must-win game for the Men in Blue to book a berth in the semi-finals. The Suryakumar Yadav & Co. follow the West Indies in the third spot in the Group 1 points table, with both of them having two points each.
However, India have a low Net Run Rate (NNR), and they will need to beat Shai Hope and his men to reach the next round. If they lose the game, the West Indies will join South Africa in the semi-finals from Group 1.
At the toss of the IND vs WI clash, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav informed that they have made no changes to their playing XI. Hence, Rinku Singh was absent from the team once again.
Why is Rinku Singh not playing against the West Indies?
Notably, Rinku Singh was dropped from the previous encounter against Zimbabwe due to his poor form in the tournament. Sanju Samson replaced him in the playing XI in the last match. Since India preferred the same playing XI as the last match, Rinku was not considered for the game.
Moreover, Rinku also left the squad ahead of the match due to a family emergency. He went home because his father passed away, and he joined the squad after attending his funeral.
The left-handed batsman was part of all previous games before the Zimbabwe clash. Across five games, he scored just 24 runs at a poor strike rate of 82.75. He got out cheaply for 6 and 1 in the opening clashes against the USA and Namibia, before scoring unbeaten 11* and 6* against Pakistan and the Netherlands.
He was gone for a duck in the match against South Africa, where India suffered a big defeat by 76 runs. Later, India made two changes against Zimbabwe, dropping Rinku and Washington Sundar and adding Samson and Axar Patel as replacements.
Samson was also named as an opener alongside Abhishek Sharma, while Ishan Kishan was dropped at the one-down position. Tilak Varma came out to bat at No. 6.
India have opted for the same combination against the West Indies as well. Meanwhile, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first in the match.
India’s playing XI vs West Indies:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.
West Indies Playing XI vs India: Shai Hope (WK/C), Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph.
Why did Rinku Singh miss the IND vs WI match?
Rinku was not considered for the IND vs WI match as India opted for the same playing XI as the last match.
What is the venue of the IND vs WI match?
The venue of the IND vs WI match is the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.