T20 World Cup 2026: Former wicketkeeper explains why Rinku Singh's selection was 'easy' for selectors

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim weighed in on why picking Rinku Singh in India's T20 World Cup 2026 was not a tough job for the selectors. The 15-member squad for next year's mega event was announced at the BCCI headquarters on December 20.

Karim mentioned that he was surprised with Rinku's exclusion from the T20I squad for the recently-concluded series against South Africa.

"It was extremely easy for the selectors. His name not coming in the team after the Asia Cup was the biggest surprise. He had not done anything wrong. He didn't get chances in the Asia Cup. He got an opportunity in the final and he scored the winning runs. After that, you didn't pick him," shared Karim while speaking on Star Sports.

The erstwhile wicketkeeper-batter opined that Rinku was a more proven finisher than Jitesh Sharma. He also noted that Rinku was a more natural choice over Jitesh considering Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan have been included in the setup.

"It would have been quite easy for the selectors. Once you had decided the opening slot, between Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, who is the more formidable finisher? Then you always go with Rinku Singh. On top of that, why would you have another keeper in the XV when you already have Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan?" he added.

Rinku was a part of India's title-winning squad in the Asia Cup earlier in the year. He only played one match though, which was the summit clash against Pakistan. Rinku struck a boundary on his very first ball to hit the winning runs in Dubai.

Speaking of the 2026 T20 World Cup, India, the co-hosts of the tournament, are slotted in Group A alongside Pakistan, Netherlands, USA and Namibia. They will kickstart their tournament against USA at the Wankhede Stadium on February 7.