Rinku Singh to rejoin Indian team in Kolkata on Saturday

Kolkata, Feb 27 (PTI) Hard-hitting batter Rinku Singh will rejoin the Indian T20 World Cup squad in Kolkata on Saturday, ahead of the must-win Super Eights match against the West Indies on Sunday.

Rinku had returned home following the death of his father, Khanchand Singh, on Friday morning after a battle with cancer.

"Rinku is joining the squad tomorrow," BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed to PTI.

The match against the West Indies at Eden Gardens is a "virtual knockout" with the winner qualifying for the semifinals along with South Africa from Group 1.

Rinku, who bats in the middle-order, has scored 24 runs in five innings in the tournament so far. This is Rinku's first World Cup outing, as he was a travelling reserve in the last edition of the tournament in 2024 and did not feature in the playing XI.

Rinku's father died at a hospital in Greater Noida early Friday after a prolonged illness.

The condition of Khanchand Singh, who was battling advanced-stage liver cancer, had deteriorated significantly in recent days, following which he had been admitted to the hospital on February 21, spokesperson of Yatharth Hospital in Greater Noida, Dr Sunil Kumar, had said earlier.

"He was placed on ventilator support and breathed his last early this morning," Kumar said. PTI KHS AH AH PDS PDS