The 26-year-old left-hander from Aligarh, who captured attention with his remarkable feat of five sixes in an over during a previous IPL, found himself replaced by Shivam Dube in the primary national squad, while Rinku ended up listed among the reserves.
Dube’s inclusion was primarily attributed to his higher involvement in matches for Chennai Super Kings during the initial 10 games of the league.
In a selection meeting held in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, it was unanimously agreed among those present that Rinku became an apparent omission from the panel, as accommodating him alongside Hardik Pandya and Dube within the same 15 seemed impractical.
“No doubt, Rinku paid the price for the Impact Player Rule. He is plain and simple unlucky. Hardik might be in poor form but he is still India’s best seam bowling all-rounder and it would have been a risk dropping him considering he is the only one who has bowled,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
So how did the Impact Player Rule become Rinku’s undoing?
Kolkata Knight Riders utilised Rinku as a finisher, yet he seldom had the opportunity to bat within the top five. In the eight innings preceding his selection, he faced only 82 balls, averaging around 10 balls per innings.
Venkatesh Iyer, skipper Shreyas Iyer, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who isn’t a power-hitter, dominated the majority of overs, leaving Rinku with minimal opportunities.
While KKR’s decision not to promote Rinku can’t be criticised, it’s worth noting that neither of the two Iyers was under consideration for national selection, and their names weren’t even discussed.
Conversely, CSK, under the astute leadership of MS Dhoni, effectively utilised Dube since his arrival during the 2021 season. Dube faced 203 balls in nine games for CSK, averaging around 23 balls per game — 13 more than Rinku — which allowed him to hit 26 sixes and 24 fours.
The additional 13 balls that Dube, as an Impact Player, received proved crucial, especially on batting-friendly pitches. Rinku, on the other hand, didn’t even receive his fair share of batting opportunities on tracks where Raghuvanshi and the Iyers consumed more deliveries.
Dhoni wisely refrained from deploying Dube’s medium-pacers, recognising his below-par bowling ability. Instead, he focused on Dube’s core skill — power hitting on slower surfaces — which played a significant role in putting him in national contention.
Rinku’s impressive strike rate of 176 in 15 games for India till January 2024, including two fifties, wasn’t sufficient to secure him a spot in the main squad. Just like Ambati Rayudu’s unfortunate exclusion before the 2019 ODI World Cup, one can only hope that Rinku’s omission won’t be regretted in the end.
As part of the travelling reserves, Rinku still has a chance to make it into the 15-man squad if any first-team members sustain injuries. Additionally, until May 23, selectors have the flexibility to revise the squad if deemed necessary.
(With PTI inputs)
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