Irfan Pathan Hints Rinku Singh May Miss T20 World Cup as Hardik Pandya Returns

Irfan Pathan said Rinku Singh lost his spot because Hardik Pandya returned from injury, and he believes the current squad is almost the same one India will take to the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan weighed in on Rinku Singh’s exclusion from the T20I squad for the five-match series against South Africa. He called the youngster unlucky after a series of strong performances earlier in the year.

Rinku, who hit the winning runs in the Asia Cup final and travelled to Australia for the T20Is. However, he featured in only one match on that tour and that ended without a ball being bowled.

For the South Africa series, India opted for Washington Sundar instead, continuing head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav’s focus on adding all-round options. Pathan noted that Hardik Pandya’s return from injury tightened the competition and likely pushed Rinku out. He also indicated that the current squad could form around 95% of India’s group for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

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“Hardik Pandya is back so Rinku Singh is out. Rinku Singh is unfortunate but this was obvious once Hardik was ready to return. This squad is 90-95% of what India will pick for the 2026 T20 World Cup,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

Pathan Breaks Down India’s T20 World Cup Plans

Pathan then shared his views on India’s T20 World Cup plans, saying the team must finalise its mix of pacers, all-rounders and spinners soon. He highlighted that Hardik Pandya’s impact as a seam-bowling finisher will be central to India’s chances.

“India have to clear several things. Whether they go with Bumrah, Hardik and Shivam Dube along with the three spinners, Axar, Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy. But I believe Hardik’s role will be the most crucial for India’s progress in T20s and in the World cup. Him and one other finisher playing with him, those two will be most crucial for whether India winning the trophy again or not,” the former cricketer concluded.