'I wasn't selected because...' - Star batter Rinku Singh's honest revelation on his exclusion from Duleep Trophy 2024

Rinku Singh's absence from the Duleep Trophy 2024 squads did spark controversy among the fans and critics. However, he came forward and admitted that he didn't score many runs in the previous Ranji season, which is why he wasn't selected for the Duleep Trophy this time. The honesty shown by the player was quite appreciable. In 47 matches, the left-handed batter scored 3173 runs, an average of 50-plus including 7 centuries.

"Nothing...I didn't perform that well (in the domestic season). I didn't play many matches in the Ranji Trophy...I played 2-3 matches. I wasn't selected because I didn't play that well. I might get selected for next-round matches," said Rinku Singh, as quoted by Sportstak.

However, in the previous year's Ranji trophy, he didn't play many matches, and in the last match against Andhra, he scored 26 runs off 33 balls. He's an integral part of India's T20I squad and has the ability to hit huge sixes off world-class bowlers. Hence, Rinku Singh expressed that his return to the Ranji setup will happen eventually. 

The batters could have done with some batting time out in the middle: Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar, the former India batter disagreed with BCCI's decision of keeping senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma away from domestic cricket. The former batter has raised concerns regarding their practice and performance, which might be affected during the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh. 

“While it’s understandable that somebody like Jasprit Bumrah with his delicate back needs to be handled with care, the batters could have done with some batting time out in the middle. Once a player hits the mid-thirties in any sport, then regular competition will help him maintain the high standards he has set. When there’s a longish gap then the muscle memory weakens somewhat and to get back to the high standards from earlier is not easy,” said Sunil Gavaskar.