I am very disappointed that Rinku Singh is not included in the team: Irfan Pathan

With teams releasing their preliminary drafts of their 15-member squads, there've been quite a lot of surprises as far as squad selection is concerned, take the case of Aussie veteran Steve Smith and young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk not being a part of the Australian setup. 

When it comes to the Indian regiment, while the selected members were more-or-less expected to be a part of the troops to represent the nation at the marquee event to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA later this year, the exclusion of Rinku Singh left aplenty baffled, considering the southpaw's power-hitting range and prowess.

First, it was his father, Khanchandra Singh, who made his sentiments public. Not too long after, Irfan Pathan, while speaking exclusively on Star Sports Press Room. The former Indian all-rounder reflected upon Rinku's IPL 2023 campaign for the Kolkata Knight Riders, where he heaped up 474 runs in 14 matches, in an otherwise underwhelming season for his franchise. Adverting to his fledgling T20I career which has already seen him feature in 15 T20Is, scoring 356 runs in 11 innings at a blazing strike rate of 176.23 and an incredible average of 89, Irfan remarked that it would be extremely demoralizing for Rinku to not be a part of the squad.

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“Look, I am very disappointed that Rinku Singh is not included in the team because he played a crucial role, specifically in finishing games for his franchise last year. You see, he demonstrated that ability last year. Moreover, when he represented India, he showcased the same skills. So, when you maintain a strike rate of 170+ and an average close to 60-70, and still don't get selected, it's incredibly disheartening," said Irfan while speaking on Star Sports Press Room.

My concern lies not in the initial stages, but rather in the knockout matches: Irfan

The 39-year-old also shed light on the fact that's been an Achilles heel for the Indian team in every ICC tournament post their Champions Trophy 2013 triumph, which is their propensity to not being able to take the burden and weight of their own as well as the supporters' expectations when it comes to delivering the goods in pressure situations. He expressed his will for India to play a brand of cricket which is much more audacious and gutsy as compared to their display at the T20 World Cup 2022 as well as the 50-over World Cup which took place last year.

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"It's crucial that the selected players deliver when the pressure mounts. My concern lies not in the initial stages, but rather in the knockout matches. I want the Indian team to play fearless cricket during those crunch moments, something I felt was lacking in the last two World Cups, both in the 50-over format and the T20 World Cup in Australia," added Irfan.