3 reasons why Rinku Singh should be in India’s first choice XI for T20Is

Rinku Singh made a comeback to the Indian T20I team after missing out from T20I series against South Africa.

After getting dropped for the South Africa T20Is, Rinku Singh made a return to the Indian T20I team in the series against New Zealand and will be there in ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as well as same squad will feature in the mega event. He didn’t take long to make an impact, playing a match-winning innings in the first T20I against New Zealand.

India came into this series on the back of T20I series wins against Australia and South Africa to close out 2025. The Indian team under Suryakumar Yadav had gathered good momentum from their previous two T20I series wins and they needed to get a good start in the series, which they got.

At the heart of this win for India was Rinku Singh, whose last game was Asia Cup 2025 final, who played an unbeaten knock of 44 off 20 that helped India post a mammoth score of 238/7 in the first T20I in Nagpur.

His late-order hitting helped India post a total that was well above par on a pitch that had indifferent pace and bounce. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 220 and proved his mettle as India’s finisher in the format. The knock surely would have helped him reclaim that role for India heading into the ICC event.

With the southpaw almost sure to play the finisher’s role for India heading into the T20 World Cup 2026, in this article, we will discuss and pinpoint reasons why Rinku Singh should be in India’s first-choice XI in the T20I format.

Why Rinku Singh should be in India’s first-choice XI in T20Is

1) Ability to finish games

Rinku Singh, on his comeback game for India, had a point to prove to the management and the coaching staff. He walked out to bat in the 14th over after Shivam Dube’s wicket and had more than six overs to bat. He initially took singles and gave the strike to Hardik Pandya, who was hitting the ball well.

Once Hardik fell in the 16th over in the match, the southpaw took matters into his own hands and hit some lusty boundaries to take India to a match-winning total. He hit four boundaries and three sixes in his 20-ball stay, including a 21-run final over of the Indian innings bowled by Daryl Mitchell. His finishing skills were well and truly displayed in the match, proving that he should do the same role in T20 World Cup 2026.

2) Fielding ability

Rinku Singh is an electric fielder in this Indian team. He can field anywhere in the ground, be it inside the circle or near the boundary line. He is very quick across the ground and has a bullet arm as well. He also takes crucial catches near the boundary line and makes difficult catches look incredibly easy.

He did drop Mark Chapman once during his innings in first IND vs NZ T20I, but made up for it by taking the catch of Kristian Clarke to close out the innings for New Zealand. He prides himself on his fielding and thus becomes an important cog in the team for the format as the upcoming World Cup.

3) Ability to bat with the tail

Rinku Singh is very clear in his approach with the bat whenever he plays for India. He has been brought up on a heavy diet of T20 cricket and since he is a designated finisher, he knows very well how to bat with the tail. He showcased that ability of his in the first match against the Kiwis as well. He first added a stand of 19 off 12 with Hardik.

Once Hardik was dismissed, he farmed the strike very well and added two key partnerships for India to take them to the total in the end. He added 24 off 13 balls with Axar Patel, with the latter facing just five balls. He then added 29 off 13 balls with Arshdeep Singh, including a 21-run over from Daryl Mitchell, which was the 20th of the Indian innings. Thus, this very quality of his also makes him key in the Indian lineup in T20Is.

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