"You should have carried a 16th player in your bilateral" - Robin Uthappa slams management over star batter's sudden inclusion in T20 World Cup 2026

Former cricketer Robin Uthappa believes Rinku Singh should have been part of India's squad for the recently concluded five-match home T20I series against South Africa. After being overlooked for the series, the left-handed batter was added to the Men in Blue's 2026 T20 World Cup squad.

Uthappa opined that Rinku could have been accommodated in the South Africa series squad by having a 16-member lineup. Speaking in a live session on his YouTube channel, the cricketer-turned-commentator said:

"Rinku should have been there in the first place. You should have just carried a 16th player in your bilateral. You didn't need only 15. It's a bilateral, you carry 16-17; who the heck cares? And you just reduce the team from that. "It actually supports your narrative if you carry 16-17 in a home bilateral series, and then if you have a World Cup squad coming up, you can actually pick out who you want to pick out," he added.

Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan returned to India's team for the upcoming 2026 T20I World Cup squad. Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma, who were part of the South Africa home series, were left out of the side for the showpiece event.

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"That should be the role that should be handed down to him" - Robin Uthappa wants Tilak Varma to be India's anchor in 2026 T20 World Cup

Robin Uthappa suggested that India's ultra-aggressive approach in T20Is may not work in big matches. He emphasized that someone like Tilak Varma should be given the anchor's role in the Indian batting order.

The 40-year-old said in the same video:

"When you're playing cricket that aggressively, and if you're following the template SunRisers Hyderabad follows in the IPL, you will do exceptionally well in patches, but that is not sustainable in big games. He (Tilak) can play the anchor, and that should be the role that should be handed down to him. The beauty about Tilak is that he can play both roles."

Tilak looked in wonderful form in India's 3-1 T20I series win over South Africa. The left-handed batter was the highest run-scorer of the series, finishing with 187 runs across four innings at a strike rate of 131.69.

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Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai