Wankhede, Mumbai

Advertisment

India captain and former Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma met Rinku Singh ahead of MI vs KKR blockbuster tie in IPL 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium. Following the presser in Mumbai on India’s T20 World Cup squad selection, where Rohit and chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed several topics, including the exclusion of Rinku from the final 15, Rohit had a word with the KKR finisher during the training session. The MI’s official account posted the video on their social media handles.

You can watch the video here –

×

Advertisment

Meanwhile, former Australia great and commentator Tom Moody has hailed Rohit for reaching out to Rinku and greeting him informally ahead of the massive game at Wankhede. 

Moody said that was great leadership from Rohit as it's never easy to have such conversations with the player who failed to make it to the final squad.

ALSO READ: IPL 2024: Can Mumbai Indians still qualify for playoffs despite winning only three games? Let's find out

Advertisment

"That's great leadership right there. Making sure you're upfront and honest. It's easier to speak to someone when they're included in the squad, it's always hard to speak to someone who has been left out,” Moody said. 

"That's why Rohit Sharma is so highly regarded around the playing group. He is a very good leader. He's got those soft skills, which are so important around communication," he continued.

Moody explains the team selection call

Meanwhile, Agarkar replied to the question about Rinku Singh’s absence during the presser, saying it was the toughest call they had to make, including dropping Shubman Gill from the squad for the T20 World Cup.

"Probably the toughest thing we have had to do. He has done nothing wrong, nor has Shubman Gill. It's again the combinations. Like Rohit said, we are not sure about what conditions we will get. We have tried to have enough options. There are a couple of wrist spinners, Chahal and Kuldeep to give Rohit more options," Agarkar said in the presser in Mumbai.

Speaking on the same lines, Moody said irrespective of how many runs Rinku scores from now in the remainder of this tournament, his inclusion in the final 15 looks dicey. 

Moody also backed Agarkar, saying the leadership group decided to prioritise team balance, and they are right in doing so.

"For Rinku Singh, it doesn't matter how many runs he gets in the rest of the IPL, it has to do with the balance of the side, and Ajit Agarkar was actually clear in the way he explained it."

"Rinku Singh has been left out because they want the extra all-rounder in Axar Patel to give them the flexibility around that No.7 spot and also the option of playing three spinners. It has nothing else to do with Rinku," Moody said.