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Rinku Singh has opened up on his plans to force his way back into the Indian team, revealing that he is currently working on his bowling to become a more complete option in T20 cricket. The left-handed batter admitted that being in and out of the side can be difficult, but said his focus remains on improving his game rather than worrying about selection.
Rinku Singh was part of India’s T20I squad for the Zimbabwe series in July but was subsequently left out of the Afghanistan series and the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies. With India continuing to back a number of other middle-order options, the 28-year-old knows he needs to add another dimension to his game.
Rinku Singh is currently out of India's scheme of things
Rinku Singh has represented India in 50 matches across formats, featuring in 48 T20Is and two ODIs. He has scored 702 runs in T20Is at an average of 36.94 and a strike rate of 156.34, with three half-centuries and a highest score of 69*. In ODIs, he has 55 runs from two matches.
His last ODI appearance came against South Africa in December 2023, while his most recent T20I appearance was against Zimbabwe in Harare on July 26, 2026. The Zimbabwe series marked his return to the T20I setup, but he was not selected for the subsequent Afghanistan series.
Rinku featured in all three T20Is against Zimbabwe, scoring 12 off eight balls in the second match and 25 off 14 in the third. However, the selectors opted for other options for the Afghanistan series, with the current T20I setup including players such as Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
He was also absent from India's T20I squad for the upcoming West Indies series, with Shreyas Iyer leading a squad that again features several established middle-order options. Rinku is currently not part of India's ODI setup either, while he has yet to make his Test debut.
Right now, I am working on my bowling because that is what the game demands - Rinku Singh
In an interaction with Sportstar, Rinku Singh was asked how he was dealing with being in and out of the Indian team and the mental challenge that comes with uncertainty over selection. He explained that his immediate focus is on improving his bowling because of the demands of modern T20 cricket.
"Right now, I am working on my bowling because that is what the game demands. At the moment, I keep getting in and out of the team, and that happens because of combinations. Some selectors and coaches feel that in T20 cricket you need to have two skills - you should be able to contribute with both bowling and batting. So I am working on my bowling," Rinku Singh said.
"It is not as if I haven’t bowled before. I have bowled and taken wickets at the international level as well. But I want to work more on my bowling so that the selectors can see that improvement. Being in and out of the team can be difficult. It puts some pressure on you and can disturb you mentally. But it is very important to remain positive. Your job is to work hard. It is not your job to worry about whether you have been selected or not. Your job is to keep working hard. Sooner or later, you will get the result."
My target is to play all three formats for India - Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh was also asked whether he now sees himself as a more complete all-rounder rather than being limited to the role of a big-hitting finisher. He pointed to his domestic record and said he believes he has the ability to contribute across all three formats.
"My aim right now is to play Test cricket for India. People have given me the tag of a finisher, but if you look at my domestic cricket, I average around 60 in first-class cricket and around 50 in one-day cricket. So I can play all formats. It is not as if I can only bat at the end. If you saw me last year, I played 200-300 balls in first-class cricket. So that is also part of my game.
"But it is fine. People can say what they want. They also give me that tag with love. They have seen me come in at the end and hit sixes, so that is what they associate with me."
Rinku Singh further said that his ultimate goal is to become an all-format player for India National Cricket team and win the World Cup. He said:
"My target is to play all three formats for India. I want to play for India, remain part of the team and, whenever there is a World Cup, be part of the winning team.
"The last World Cup was a big opportunity for me. I didn’t perform as well as I wanted to for India. But going forward, I want to play for India in all three formats, remain with the team and, whenever there is a World Cup, score the winning runs and help my team win. That is my dream right now."
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