Explained: Why no Rinku Singh in India’s T20I squad for South Africa series?

The announcement of India’s T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa has sparked widespread debate among fans and analysts, with the most prominent talking point being the exclusion of the final player. Rinku Singh. Rinko, who recently featured in the T20I tour of Australia, has now been left out of the squad, raising questions about form, balance and selection strategy.

Why was Rinku Singh missing from India’s T20I squad for South Africa?

While Renko has had a strong start to his career in India, his numbers over the past 12 months have shown remarkable stability. Across his last 17 T20I matches, he has batted in just 11 innings, produced just one half-century and just one other score above 30.

A series of short single-figure cameos – often involving only a few balls – prevented him from building a steady rhythm. Analysts point out that since the home series against England in early 2025, Rinku has not had a long stay in the India fold, while his domestic matches in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and recent T20 tournaments have been solid but not as explosive as his breakout phase. As the competition for the final rounds intensified, the decline weakened his case.

One of the biggest selection themes for the South Africa T20Is is India’s focus on all-rounders. The 15-man squad includes four all-rounders – Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar – giving the team more bowling options and tactical flexibility across India’s varied pitches.

With Hardik back from injury and ready to reclaim the role of finisher alongside Diop, the selectors have picked Sundar to fill the No. 7-8 position. Sundar offers both off-spin and late-round hitting, providing a dual benefit that Rinku, as a pure middle-order batsman, cannot replicate.

With only 15 places in the team, specialists without secondary skills were always likely to face pressure, and Renko appears to have outdone India’s priority in the overall balance.

The selectors also want Rinku to play a full domestic season, rather than risk significant time on the bench in a series in which India aim to maintain a largely stable line-up. This is in line with India’s selection approach ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, where consistent domestic performances are heavily weighted.

Some reports also indicated this Rinko’s upcoming weddingwhich is scheduled for mid-December 2025, may have influenced availability discussions. Although this has not been officially confirmed, it is understood that the player may have requested personal time – another factor that may have made selection less likely for the South Africa series.

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India T20I squad for South Africa series

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill* (v), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar

*Note: Subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI Center of Excellence.

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