Team India is set to lock horns with Zimbabwe on February 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Ahead of the clash, Team India`s middle-order batsman Rinku Singh has returned home, owing to an emergency situation in the family, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sources informed PTI.
He did not make his appearance for the training session at the stadium, while the rest of his colleagues were present at the nets.
“Rinku Singh has flown back home from Chennai due to a family emergency. He did not join India`s practice session at the Chepauk,” the source close to the development said.
According to the sources, Rinku`s father, Khanchand Singh, is in a serious condition in a hospital in Greater Noida.
Underperforming Rinku had departed on a two-ball duck in Team India`s recent loss by 76 runs against South Africa in Ahmedabad. Earlier, he made six in the group match against the Netherlands in New Delhi.
The loss against the Proteas was India`s second-biggest defeat by runs in all T20 Internationals behind the 80-run defeats against New Zealand in Wellington in 2019. In T20 World Cup history, India suffered their biggest defeat.
The loss has caused Team India to slip to third position in Group 1. Suryakumar Yadav-led Team India has one loss with a net run rate (NRR) of -3.800. India`s loss of 76 runs against South Africa has tightened their qualification scenarios for the semi-finals. The Men in Blue will have to win the remaining two games with a good net run rate to keep their hopes of defending the T20 World Cup alive.
The “Men in Blue” are set to clash against Zimbabwe on February 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They will then lock horns with the West Indies on March 1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
India`s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma.
(With PTI Inputs)
