Indian batter Rinku Singh recalled how skipper Rohit Sharma motivated him after he was ignored by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Singh was a consistent performer for India before the T20I showpiece and many boffins thought he was unlucky to miss out in the main squad.

Singh was part of the reserve list along with Shubman Gill, Khaleel Ahmed, and Avesh Khan. The left-hander scored 474 runs in 14 matches of IPL 2023 at an average of 59.23 and a strike rate of 149.53 and he was one of the biggest positives for KKR. The southpaw also scored four fifties in the season for KKR.

Before the T20 World Cup, Singh had scored 356 runs in 11 T20I innings at an average of 89 and a strike rate of 176.24 and thus his absence was a bolt from the blue for a lot of cricket experts.

Rinku Singh said while talking to News24, “Haan woh (Rohit Sharma) aaye the samjane ki koi baat nahi, teri umar hi kya hai. World Cup aage bohot hai. Mehnat karte reh. Har do saal mein World Cup aata hai, uspe dhyaan de. Koi dikaat nahi hai, pareshan mat ho [He came to me and made me understand that it was okay, you are quite young. There will be many many World Cups in the future. Keep on working hard. There is a World Cup every two years, focus on that. Don’t be disappointed].”

Singh added he likes Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s captaincy as he gets the best out of the players.

“I like Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. I like Virat Kohli as well because aggression is very important while leading a team. So, his captaincy was also very good. “

Rinku Singh was not picked for the Duleep Trophy and he will be in action in the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.