After Rinku Singh‘s exclusion from the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup, India captain Rohit Sharma was seen having a chat with the youngster. The incident took place on the eve of the Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Rohit came straight to the stadium after attending a press conference, alongside BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar, addressing the T20 World Cup squad selection. Upon his arrival Rohit met some of the players, including Rinku, who was all smiles during the chat with the captain despite the snub.

Assuming that the duo must’ve had a chat regarding the T20 World Cup squad, former SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach Tom Moody praised Rohit for being “honest and upfront” with Rinku over his exclusion.

Moody praised Rohit for his leadership and said that the veteran batter has good soft skills and is highly regarded amongst the players.

“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 is so important around communication,” Moody said on Star Sports.

Speaking at the press conference, Agarkar said on Thursday that the decision on Rinku was the toughest they faced while picking the squad.

“It’s probably the toughest thing that we have had to discuss, frankly. I mean, he has done nothing wrong, nor a Shubman Gill, for that matter. You know, it’s again, the combinations. We are not quite sure what conditions we’ll get, so we wanted to try and have enough options. There are a couple of spinners that were included in the squad, Chahal and Kuldeep, to give Rohit options. Axar again, batting all-rounder or bowling all-rounder, rather.

“It’s just unfortunate. I don’t think it’s anything to do with Rinku Singh. It’s not his fault that he has missed out. It’s more the 15 that we felt gives (India the best chance). With two keepers who are both terrific batters, there is already an extra batter sitting out, he said.