Why Rinku Singh travelled to Dharamsala despite not being part of Test squad? Big reason revealed

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Rinku Singh landed in Dharamsala despite not being part of the Indian Test squad, leaving the fans guessing ahead of the fifth and last match of the series from Thursday, March 7.

The 26-year-old white-ball superstar shared a picture with England coach Brendon McCullum with a caption, "Later, later, later always an inspiration @bazmccullum42." Notably, former New Zealand captain was once the coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) which Rinku Singh has been part of since 2018.

As per a report in Hindustan Times, Rinku Singh was in the Himachal Pradesh city, for a special photoshoot for the T20 World Cup 2024 which starts from June 1.

The Uttar Pradesh batter is certain of a place in India squad for the ICC mega event because of his stunning performance in the T20I format since his debut in August, 2023.

The Aligarh-born batter has got wide acknowledgement as a finisher, scoring 356 runs in 15 matches at an average of 89 and a strike rate of 176.23. In his last T20I outing, Rinku scored 69 unbeaten runs off 39 balls. The innings which consisted of two fours and six sixes, came after India were reduced to 22/4 in Bengaluru against Afghanistan.

The unbeaten 190-run stand between Rinku and Rohit Sharma propelled India to 212/4 in 20 overs. Rohit had praised Rinku after India's thrilling double Super Over win.

"The last couple of series that he played, he showed what he can do with the bat. Very calm and knows his strength pretty well. He is coming off age and doing what is expected of him and he has done really well for India.

"It augurs well for the team moving forward, wanted someone like that at the backend and we know what he has done in the IPL and he has carried that to the Indian colours as well," Rohit Sharma had said backing Rinku Singh, and almost confirming his spot in India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

Rinku Singh reported at the KKR Academy after returning from Dharamsala for the pre-season camp. Rinku Singh was the leading run-scorer for KKR in the IPL 2023 season. He scored 474 runs in 14 matches at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.52.