Former Indian top-order batter Wasim Jaffer has questioned the Indian selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, for axing the finisher Rinku Singh for the forthcoming three-game series against Afghanistan, which is scheduled to start on Sunday, September 13, in Delhi.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Jaffer highlighted Rinku’s exceptional performances in the IPL 2026 season, UPT20 League 2026 and Duleep Trophy 2026. Notably, Rinku was part of the Indian T20I squad that toured Zimbabwe recently.
“He has played very well in the IPL, and even recently, whether you talk about the Uttar Pradesh Premier League or the Duleep Trophy. Even though the latter is red-ball cricket. So, I feel Rinku Singh is unfortunate that he hasn’t been able to make his place in the team. But among all these players, I would say that, for Rinku Singh, it feels a little like he has been left out of the team for no real reason,” Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.
“I mean, it’s understandable because when all your players return, unfortunately, you have to make room for them. I feel a little bad for Rinku Singh because it doesn’t seem like he has done much wrong. To be honest, whenever he has got an opportunity, he has always done well, and he plays in very critical positions. But whenever he plays, his performances have been good,” he added.
Further, Jaffer also shared his views on Kuldeep Yadav’s exclusion, stating that the wrist spinner has gone out of favour without any proper reason from the selection committee and team management.
“As for Kuldeep, again, I’ve said this so many times that it has become repetitive. But I feel he has gone out of favour for no reason, so I feel bad for him,” he added.
India squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*
NOTE: * Subject to fitness clearance
