India need Rinku Singh in the T20I setup. Image Credits: AFP
It is difficult to argue that Rinku Singh has been given a fair run in India's T20I side. Despite doing little to justify being dropped, he has steadily slipped down the pecking order in India's T20I setup.
He was part of the T20 World Cup 2026 squad, where his opportunities were limited, and was subsequently overlooked for the Ireland and England tours. This came despite a strong second half of IPL 2026.
Rinku Singh’s improper usage
Rinku Singh is among the few specialist pace hitters who can bat in the lower order and whack hard lengths from the first ball. Yet, India have seldom deployed him in a role that maximises those strengths, a recurring issue that has affected several players under this management.
Since 2025, Rinku has 158 runs at an average of 26.33 and a strike rate of 131.66 across 11 outings. On average, he has faced only 10.90 balls per innings and hasn’t got a chance to bat in four games.
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Rinku Singh is a pace-hitter whose ideal entry point is around the 15th over or soon after. India, however, have rarely used him that way, often sending him in either too early or too late.
In this period, he’s been slotted in to bat as early as the third over and as late as the 20th over. There has been little role clarity, and even when the southpaw occasionally found his ideal entry point, the opportunities were too infrequent to establish any rhythm.
The T20 World Cup 2026 fixture against the USA is a case in point. After India lost four wickets inside the powerplay, they sent Rinku ahead of Hardik Pandya and a genuine spin basher, Axar Patel. This move exposed him to an extended spell of spin, and he eventually fell to the leg-spinner Mohammad Mohsin after never looking comfortable.
Such decisions often gave the impression that India were trying to fit Rinku into situations that did not suit his strengths. Perhaps his inability to contribute significantly with the ball also worked against him, especially in a setup that has consistently prioritised multi-dimensional cricketers.
Rinku Singh's entry points have been inconsistent in T20Is
More often than not, it felt as though his primary skill wasn't fully trusted. He faced just one delivery in the 2025 Asia Cup and did not get a chance to bat at all during the Australia T20I series Down Under.
Part of the problem was India's abundance of all-rounders. With multiple players capable of contributing with the bat, someone was always likely to be used outside their ideal entry point, and Rinku often ended up being that player.
When Hardik Pandya fell in the 15th over against Pakistan at the 2026 T20 World Cup, India had three options for the next batter: Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and Axar Patel. They went with Dube, who has enjoyed extended backing from this management, and he responded with a useful hand.
Rinku eventually walked in during the 19th over and faced only four balls. Nor was it an isolated instance.
Dube was also preferred ahead of him in the 2025 Asia Cup final, while Hardik walked in before him against the Netherlands at the 2026 T20 World Cup. More often than not, when India had a choice, Rinku was the one made to wait.
Rinku’s statement in IPL 2026
Amid everything Rinku Singh went through, his form inevitably took a hit. His form in the first half of IPL 2026 didn’t look too convincing, with as many as three low scores early on.
Then came the turnaround. Rinku not only rediscovered consistency but also began batting deeper into innings, producing a series of impactful knocks for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He eventually finished with 295 runs at an average of 59 and a strike rate of 148.98 in 11 outings, including two fifties.
His trademark power-hitting against pace remained intact. Rinku averaged 58 and struck at 151.30 against fast bowlers, while scoring at 165.95 and finding the boundary every 3.91 balls against deliveries of eight metres or shorter.
That was hardly surprising; Rinku has long been among the best back-foot players in the country, with a stable base allowing him to generate immense power against hard lengths. The bigger development, however, came against spin.
Against spinners in IPL 2025, he averaged just 23.40 at a strike rate of 139.29, while 35.71% of his deliveries were dots. Those numbers improved dramatically in IPL 2026, with his average rising to 60.50, his strike rate to 145.78, and his dot-ball percentage dropping to 30.12%.
The improvement stemmed from a subtle technical tweak. During IPL 2026, Abhishek Nayar explained how he worked on Rinku’s trigger movement to allow him to walk across more frequently. The adjustment opened up the leg side, expanded his scoring options and prevented him from getting stuck in the crease against straighter lines.
"If you would have noticed, his initial movement changed; he's now walking across compared to before. So we kind of figured that out; maybe that can help him, and he's never done that, so we added that to his batting. It helped him.”
The results followed immediately. Against deliveries on middle stump and beyond towards leg stump, Rinku's strike rate against spin climbed to 144.82 in IPL 2026, while his balls-per-boundary improved to 5.80.
Rinku Singh has improved significantly vs spin
A year earlier, he struck at only 128.57 on the same lines and required 8.75 deliveries per boundary. More importantly, he rotated the strike far more effectively, with his dot balls against those lines dropping from 31.42% to 17.24%.
A chance to reclaim a T20I spot
If anything, the UK tour served as a reminder that specialists still have an important place in white-ball cricket. India's attempt to shoehorn non-specialists into the finisher's role ultimately backfired.
Against Ireland and England combined, India's No.6-8 collectively averaged just 11.36 and struck at 113.08 across seven outings. They managed a boundary only once every 9.55 deliveries.
As a result, India repeatedly fell short of the late surge expected from their lower middle order. In the final five overs, they scored at only 138.15 and lost a wicket every 7.86 deliveries. Their balls-per-boundary ratio stood at a dismal 6.40, with dot balls soaring to 35.26%.
India's lower order was abysmal on the UK tour
On the Zimbabwe tour, Rinku Singh should get a consistent run as a pace-hitter in the lower order. It’s an ideal platform to build on his IPL 2026 gains with the bat and reclaim his place in India's T20I setup.
Zimbabwe have an in-form and versatile bowling attack, and on slightly tacky surfaces, they will pose a stern test. Should Rinku deliver in those conditions, the selectors would find it increasingly difficult to overlook a player with his skill set.
The next T20 World Cup will be played in Australia, where quality players of pace will be at a premium. The quicker surfaces and extra bounce are likely to expose any shortcomings against high-quality fast bowling, an area where India looked vulnerable on the UK tour.
Shivam Dube and Axar Patel were highly unconvincing, while Hardik Pandya has long struggled against shorter lengths and wider lines. Whoever among them plays could benefit from having a specialist pace-hitter alongside them in the lower order.
Rinku's credentials for that role are both strong and proven, particularly in conditions where pace dominates.
Just as importantly, the strides Rinku made against spin in IPL 2026 have made him a more rounded lower-order batter, reducing one of the few concerns around his game. Added to that is the left-handed dimension he brings, something India have increasingly valued in recent times.
In that sense, the Zimbabwe tour assumes greater significance for Rinku, offering him a chance to re-establish himself in a role where India's options remain limited.
Coming immediately after India's underwhelming lower-order returns on the UK tour, the timing could hardly be better. Strong performances there would serve as a timely reminder of the specialist finishing skills they have been missing.
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