The BCCI revealed its 15-member squad for the five-match T20I series against West Indies on July 5 and as expected Yashasvi Jaiswal earned his maiden callup. Mumbai Indians' youngster Tilak Varma also found a place in Hardik Pandya-led side but fans were surprised to witness Rinku Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad's names missing the list.
With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma out, there are places to grab in India's batting order, and the five-match series will be a perfect platform to earn spots in ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Rinku's snub for West Indies tour has angered the Indian cricket fans who witnessed blistering knocks from the Kolkata Knight Riders finisher during Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL).
Rinku emerged as one of the finest finishers India could wish for in the T20I team and many predicted the left-handed batter getting a callup for West Indies tour. Fans were equally shocked to witness Ruturaj Gaikwad's snub as Chennai Super Kings batter pulled off 590 runs in IPL 2023. Gaikwad has been a consistent run-getter across formats in domestic cricket and IPL but was not able to find a place in India's latest T20I team.
If IPL is clear criteria for India's T20I team, the trio has been equally impressive in the recent edition. Gaikwad, who won the Orange Cap in 2021, was a comparatively better performer in IPL 2023 with 590 runs and a title with CSK. But Rinku had a better average compared to Ruturaj and Tilak as he remained unbeaten on six occasions while chasing.
Meanwhile, selectors can justify Tilak's inclusion over Ruturaj and Rinku with the youngster's strike rate of 164.11. Ruturaj faces strong competition at the top with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill likely to open the innings on West Indies tour. Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson will play the finisher's role, which keeps Rinku Singh out of the equation. But with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer not available in the middle order, Tilak fits perfectly in the no.3 or no.4 position.
So, let's compare the trio's stats in IPL and overall T20.
IPL 2022 & 2023 Stats:
| IPL 2023 | Inns | Runs | Avg | Str Rate | 50s | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rinku Singh | 14 | 474 | 59.25 | 149.52 | 4 | 0 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 15 | 590 | 42.14 | 147.50 | 4 | 0 |
| Tilak Varma | 11 | 343 | 42.87 | 164.11 | 1 | 0 |
| IPL 2022 | Inns | Runs | Avg | Str Rate | 50s | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rinku Singh | 7 | 174 | 34.79 | 148.71 | 0 | 0 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 14 | 368 | 26.28 | 126.46 | 3 | 0 |
| Tilak Varma | 14 | 397 | 36.09 | 131.02 | 2 | 0 |
Comparing Overall T20 stats between Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, and Tilak Varma
| T20 | Inns | Runs | Avg | Str Rate | 50s | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rinku Singh | 81 | 1768 | 30.48 | 140.87 | 10 | 0 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 103 | 3426 | 36.96 | 136.11 | 24 | 3 |
| Tilak Varma | 46 | 1418 | 37.31 | 142.51 | 10 | 0 |
