Former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra reckons Rinku Singh is a proper contender for T20 World Cup 2024. The left-hander scored 14-ball 22 to get India over the line in the run-chase of 209 runs in the series’ opening game against Australia.

The southpaw scored another fine knock of 9-ball 31 in the second T20I against Australia to add the finishing touches and helped India post 235 runs on the board.

After not getting to bat in the third T20I, the Uttar Pradesh batter scored a blistering knock of 46 runs off just 29 balls in the fourth game to help India post 174 runs.

Singh has scored 174 runs in five T20I innings at a blistering strike rate of 197.73 and he has shown the skills to take up the finisher role for the national team.

Meanwhile, Singh had done a fine job while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. The left-hander has scored 725 runs in 31 IPL matches at an average of 36.25 and a strike rate of 142.16.

“There is no doubt that Rinku Singh is a contender for inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup squad,” Ashish Nehra told JioCinema.

Nehra reckons Rinku Singh will face a tough challenge for the finisher role as players like Jitesh Sharma and Tilak Varma are also competing for the same spot.

“But the World Cup is still far away and the spot he’s fighting for has many challengers. You can look at Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper-batter) and Tilak Varma. We’ll have to discuss the positions where Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya will play,” the cricketer-turned-commentator said.

“So, we have to see how many spots are available in the 15-member squad. But one thing is sure, he (Rinku) has opened everyone’s eyes and put everyone under pressure. But there’s still a lot of time to go. The trip to South Africa is coming up followed by the IPL,” averred Nehra.

After his impressive start to T20I career, Singh has received a maiden call-up for the ODI series against South Africa.