"The selectors would have seen something" - Ashish Nehra lauds Rinku Singh for proving his ODI selection right with his knock in 4th IND vs AUS T20I

Ashish Nehra has lauded Rinku Singh for proving that the selectors made the right call in picking him in India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa.

Rinku scored 46 runs off 29 deliveries as India posted 174/9 after being asked to bat first in the fourth T20I against Australia in Raipur on Friday, December 1. The hosts then restricted the Aussies to 154/7 to register a 20-run win and take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

During a discussion on JioCinema, Nehra was asked about Rinku showing an improved range in the fourth match, to which he responded:

"Firstly everyone needs to understand that you know Rinku Singh more because of T20s, but don't forget he has an average close to 50 even in the Ranji Trophy. He has been picked in the 50-over team as well, so the selectors would have seen something."

The former India pacer praised the left-handed batter for proving he possesses the game for the longer white-ball format. Nehra continued:

"It is a massive plus for the Indian team that you have selected him in the 50-over format and he got to bat early today and showed everyone that he can deliver in such a scenario as well."

Rinku walked out to bat when India were in a slight spot of bother at 63/3 after 8.1 overs. He added 48 and 56 runs with Ruturaj Gaikwad (32 off 28) and Jitesh Sharma (35 off 19) for the fourth and fifth wickets respectively to help the hosts set a challenging target for the visitors.

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"The sort of knock he played was praiseworthy" - Ashish Nehra on Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh struck four fours and two sixes during his innings. [P/C: AP]

Ashish Nehra pointed out that Rinku Singh showed that he is not just a finisher. He elaborated:

"The most important thing was that he came in the ninth or tenth over today, he didn't come in the 17th or 18th over. We have seen him many times after the 16th over or so but the sort of knock he played was praiseworthy and the team needed that."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that India might have been restricted to a smaller total had Rinku been dismissed early. He said:

"There was a time when it seemed they (India) could reach 190 as well but if you had lost Rinku Singh's wicket at that stage, you might have been stopped at 160. Whether you would have won or lost that match, it is something for later."

Nehra highlighted that the youngster stayed virtually till the end, getting dismissed only in the 20th over of the Indian innings. He also praised Jitesh Sharma for relieving the pressure slightly with his aggressive approach at the other end.