'We bought crackers and celebrated as we thought he would be in Playing XI' - Rinku Singh's father after son's T20 WC snub

Rinku Singh's father was crestfallen after his son wasn't picked in India's 15-member squad for the impending T20 World Cup 2024. He revealed how the family had planned to celebrate his selection but it was spoiled after the southpaw was named only among the reserves.

On Tuesday, April 30, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the names of the 15 players who will be representing the Men in Blue in the marquee event in June. Unfortunately, Rinku couldn't make the cut as he was named as one of the four reserve players. The three other reserves named were Shubman Gill, Khaleel Ahmed, and Avesh Khan.

Meanwhile, Rinku's father, Khanchandra Singh, said that he had brought sweets and crackers to celebrate his son's selection. However, he was shocked when he heard that his son didn't find a place in the side.

"Ummedein to bohot thi, hum mithai, patakhe laye they, socha tha wo 11 main khelega. Isliye thoda dukh bhi hai [We had hopes and brought sweets and crackers to celebrate his selection. We felt that he would get a chance in the playing XI during the tournament. That is why we are a little disappointed]," Khanchandra said in an interview with Bharat 24.

When asked if Rinku had a word with him, Khanchandra revealed that the diminutive batter was heartbroken after the turn of events and he informed his mother that he wasn't named in the squad.

"Uska dil tuta hai, usne apni maa se baat ki aur bataya ki uska naam nahi hai [His heart is broken, he spoke to his mother and informed her that his name wasn't announced]," Khanchandra stated.

Rinku's snub took a lot of fans as well as experts by surprise. Many have taken to social media to stand in solidarity with the 26-year-old. Rinku made his debut for India last year and scored 356 runs from 15 T20Is at an average of 89 and a strike rate of 176.24. However, he didn't get too many opportunities to showcase his talent for Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Meanwhile, after producing consistent performances for Chennai Super Kings, fellow southpaw Shivam Dube made it to India's side for the marquee event. It was a direct face-off between Dube and Rinku for a spot in India's squad and the BCCI selectors decided to back the former for his stunning exploits in IPL 2024