Rinku Singh and Khaleel Ahmed, who were the reserve players of the Indian team in the T20 World Cup 2024, have reportedly left Barbados and flown to Zimbabwe to join Team India there for the five-match T20Is.
India is slated to play five T20Is against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club starting July 6. The new-look Indian team landed in Zimbabwe on July 3, 2024, and will be captained by Shubman Gill and coached by VVS Laxman.
“Yes, both Khaleel and Rinku have left for Zimbabwe as they were named in the squad for the first two games. Rest will travel to Delhi first,” says a source told News 18 CricketNext.
Khaleel Ahmed and Rinku Singh were members of the four-person traveling reserves which also included Shubman Gill and Avesh Khan. However, Avesh Khan and Shubman Gill were sent back home after the USA leg of the T20 World Cup ended for India.
But Rinku and Khaleel were asked to stay back for the remainder of the Caribbean leg of the tournament and they witnessed India becoming champions of the T20 World Cup 2024. Rinku and Khaleel even got to hold the T20 World Cup trophy with the rest of the team during celebrations.
Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson to return home to India with the team
While Khaleel Ahmed and Rinku Singh flew to Zimbabwe to join the Indian team, three other members of the same squad for the Zimbabwe series, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who were members of the main 15-member squad, will fly back to India with the rest of the contingent.
BCCI has already named Harshit Rana, Jitesh Sharma, and Sai Sudharsan as replacements for the first 2 T20Is.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has named Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana as replacements for Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal for the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe.
“Originally slated to join the Zimbabwe-bound squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series starting Saturday, 6th July, the trio will travel to India first with the rest of the ICC T20 World Cup-winning Indian squad before departing for Harare,” read a BCCI release.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not specify why these three players are in Delhi and Rinku and Khaleel are in Zimbabwe, but it is believed that the full group would see Prime Minister Narendra Modi once they get in Delhi. The charter-carrying Indian contingent will arrive in the city early Thursday.
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