IND vs ENG 2025: Ryan ten Doeschate provides major update on Rinku Singh's injury status ahead of 4th T20I

India's assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate said in the pre-match press conference that Rinku Singh should be available to play the fourth T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31. The five-match series is intriguingly poised at 2-1 in favour of India.

The left-handed batter played the first T20I in Kolkata where he sustained a lower back spasm while fielding. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had issued a statement ahead of the second T20I, where it was mentioned that Rinku would miss the second and third T20Is due to his back problem. It seems that the Uttar Pradesh batter has recovered and is set to walk back into the playing XI for the fourth T20I.

“Rinku is fit. He played the first game, hurt himself and missed the next two. But I would imagine Rinku comes back in as soon as he’s proper fit. He batted the other night and I think he’ll be ready to go tomorrow," Ryan ten Doeschate said in a pre-match press conference ahead of the fourth T20I (via News18).

It won't be wrong to say that India have missed Rinku's services with the bat in the last two games. While India managed to win the second T20I on the back of Tilak Varma's resolute half-century, Rinku's ability to finish games could have made his work easier. Also, the third T20I saw the Men in Blue failing to chase down a 172-run target, falling short by 26 runs. Rinku's presence in the backend of the run-chase could have benefited the Suryakumar Yadav-led side immensely.

Want to give guys a long enough opportunity to show how good they are: ten Doeschate

India sent Dhruv Jurel at No. 8 behind the all-rounders in the third T20I. Former cricketers like Kevin Pietersen and Parthiv Patel criticised India's head coach Gautam Gambhir for being too obsessed with the left-hand-right-hand combination. However, ten Doeschate defended the move, saying that it has been a mantra for Gambhir's teams over the years. The former Netherlands all-rounder also said that the team management is looking to give a long rope to the players to allow them enough opportunities to show their talent.

“You could argue that we don’t want Dhruv Jurel batting at number 8. But I also think if you look at the blueprint of any of Gambhir’s teams that he has coached since he’s been coaching T20 cricket, it is a big part of how he likes to set up," the assistant coach said.

Also Read: India vs England Match Preview, 4th T20I

"Particularly the other night, like I said, with Dhruv coming in at 8, I don’t think we got to see the best of him. But we do believe that it’s a big part of strategy in these games. Again, going back to my point, we want to give guys a long enough opportunity to show how good they are because we believe in the medium to long term, guys will show how good they are," he added.