Rinku Singh’s exclusion from the 15-man squad recently announced for the T20 World Cup scheduled in June has fuelled a lot of strong reactions. Many were surprised over Rinku's exclusion, as the batter has produced strong performances in Indian colours ever since he made his debut last year. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in its recent squad announcement for the marquee tournament, kept Rinku in the reserves alongside batter Shubman Gill.

On Thursday, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was spotted chatting with the left-hander after the T20 World Cup press conference at the Wankhede Stadium. Mesmerised by the moment, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody praised Rohit for comforting the youngster ahead of the biennial event.

Moody lauded the Indian skipper for being 'upfront and honest', stating the difficulties in talking to a player who is not included in the squad.

"That's great leadership right there. Making sure you're upfront and honest. It's easier to speak to someone when they're included in the squad, it's always hard to speak to someone who has been left out. That's why Rohit Sharma is so highly regarded around the playing group. He is a very good leader. He's got those soft skills, which are so important around communication," he said, as quoted by India Today.

The former Australian cricketer also added that the squad selection was more inclined towards achieving the right balance for the side and had nothing to do with Rinku. He also backed chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s decision to provide flexibility around the no.7 spot in the form of Axar Patel, who would also offer himself as the third spinner.

"For Rinku Singh, it doesn't matter how many runs he gets in the rest of the IPL, it has to do with the balance of the side and Ajit Agarkar was actually clear in the way he explained it," he said.

"Rinku Singh has been left out because they want the extra all-rounder in Axar Patel to give them the flexibility around that No.7 spot and also the option of playing 3 spinners. It has nothing else to do with Rinku," Moody added.

Earlier on Thursday, Ajit Agarkar had also stated Rinku’s exclusion as the ‘toughest decision’ while shortlisting the players, "Probably the toughest thing we have had to do. He has done nothing wrong, nor has Shubman Gill. It's again the combinations.”

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