Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed keen interest in seeing the young and talented batter Rinku Singh don the Indian jersey for next year’s T20 World Cup.
Rinku has came into the limelight after smacking five sixes in an over of Gujarat Titans pacer Yash Dayal during the 2023 Indian Premier League and had a terrific tournament, scoring 474 runs in 14 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders.
After doing well in domestic cricket for many seasons and having a terrific IPL 2023, Rinku got his maiden India call-up in the series against Ireland in August and later he was named in India’s squad for the Asian Games.
Speaking at JioCinema’s show ‘Aakashvani,’ Chopra picked five players whose performances he will be tracking closely during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Rinku’s name was on top of the list.
“Everyone has seen Rinku Singh and knows what he’s capable of. The T20 World Cup will be held in 2024 and I want to see him be a part of the Indian team there. He played a good knock at the Asian Games. Before that, he did well in the UP T20 League.
“He has done well for India whenever he’s got a chance and has played exceptionally well for KKR in the IPL. The best thing about him is that he’s short in height, his build is not that muscular, but he hits cleanly and uses his wrists very well,” Chopra said.
He next picked Sai Sudharsan and said “He’s an example of a batter whose technique liberates him and does not shackle him”.
“Sudharsan’s is a beautiful story. The work he is doing is praiseworthy. We speak a lot about Tilak Varma but forget about Sai Sudharsan. He scored in the IPL, then he went to play county cricket. He scored in the Irani Cup and is not stopping at all when it comes to putting runs on the board,” he said.
The wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma was third on the list. “He played at the Asian Games recently, but he wasn’t that successful there. Jitesh is a good finisher. He plays very well in front of the wickets. This will be an important tournament where you would want to see him dominate,” Chopra added.
Chopra in his picks also highlighted Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batter Rajat Patidar, who missed the 2023 IPL due to injury.
“Rajat Patidar is another player I would like to see succeed. He missed one season but in the season before that, he played really well. He was close to playing for India but was hit by injuries. This tournament will be very important for him,” said Chopra.
Mumbai Indians batter Nehal Wadhera completes Chopra’s five-players list for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
“Nehal plays for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and is from Punjab. He bats and bowls. Again, it’s important for him to do things so well that he’s brought into the scheme of things. He can bat at No. 4, 5 or 6. So I am focusing on him too,” Chopra concluded.
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