Following the win in the third T20I against Sri Lanka on Tuesday (July 30), India captain Suryakumar Yadav reveals the reason behind deciding to bowl Rinku Singh in the penultimate over.

Shivam Dube hadn't bowled yet, and Mohammed Siraj had one more over to go. However, captain Suryakumar turned to Rinku, who had never bowled in an international match, following Khaleel Ahmed's damaging 18th over, in which he gave 12 runs, cutting Sri Lanka's target to just nine runs in the last 2 overs.

However, off-spinner Rinku Singh took two wickets for just three runs, leaving Sri Lanka struggling at six wickets down. Later, Suryakumar assumed control, taking two more wickets in a row to safeguard six runs in the last over and win the Super Over.

In an interview with Sony Sports, he stated that Rinku's right-arm off-spin variation made him more suitable for the circumstances. This was especially true after he made sure to bowl sufficiently throughout the series' practice sessions.

“The decision for the 20th over was easy, the difficult part was for the 19th over. Siraj and few others had their overs left. But I felt Rinku was better suited for that wicket because I have seen him bowling and I made him practice a lot at the nets. I felt it was right and that is why I took that call,” he said.

In response to questions about why he didn't bowl the 19th over himself from former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra, Suryakumar highlighted the need of strategic match-ups and acknowledged the benefit of having a backup bowler for upcoming T20 Internationals.

“I knew the 19th over has always been difficult for Indian cricket (laughs). That is why I gave the responsibility to Rinku. For a right-hander bowling to a left-hander, it is always difficult for the batter. It was great that he made the best use of his skill and made my work easy because now I have one more bowling option going forward,” he added.