Rinku Singh reaches Dharamsala ahead of fifth and final Test against England; Will he feature in India's playing XI in dead rubber?

The English Team is gearing up for the fifth Test in Dharamsala, and with the final match of the India versus England Test series just around the corner, Rinku Singh seized the opportunity to visit Brendon McCullum, the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coach who is now coaching England.

Rinku Singh, KKR's explosive batter, has recently begun his preparations for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season by joining the franchise's training camp at the KKR Academy a few days ago. 

Rinku pays visit to Brendon McCullum in Dharamsala

With the IPL season fast approaching and less than three weeks until KKR's opening game against Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home ground, Singh took a break to catch up with his former coach.

Brendon McCullum, who has been at the helm of the England team for the past two years, previously led KKR from 2019 to 2022 in the IPL. He also guided the Trinbago Knight Riders to their fourth CPL (Caribbean Premier League) title in 2020, marking a successful tenure with the franchise.

India stage stunning comeback to clinch Test series against England

After a setback in the first match in Hyderabad, India made a strong comeback with decisive victories in Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, and Ranchi, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. This was England's first series defeat in the Bazball era. In the preceding Test at Ranchi, India secured a win by five wickets, achieving an unassailable lead in the five-match series. Although the visiting team showed potential in the first innings, they struggled in their second innings, falling victim to Ravichandran Ashwin's five-wicket spell and Kuldeep Yadav's capture of four wickets. This shift in momentum favored India, increasing the difficulty for the visiting team as they aimed for a win to salvage some pride.

Under Rohit Sharma's leadership, the team not only clinched critical wins but also improved their position in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 points table, advancing to second place by the end of the fourth Test. India then ascended to the top spot following New Zealand's loss to Australia in Wellington on Sunday. Given the significance of the points percentage (PCT) in the standings, India is focused on securing an additional 12 points with a victory in Dharamsala. The team looks forward to continuing their strong performance when they resume their series in September.

Notably, the fifth and the final Test between India and England is set to start from March 7 in Dharamsala.

MORE ON SPORTS TAK:

MS Dhoni to play as an opener in IPL 2024? CSK captain's 'new role' cryptic post leaves fans speculating about his future

'Rohit Sharma scolds players when...': Former India star's big revelation on Hitman's captaincy and conduct towards teammates

Phil Salt to Leus du Plooy, 5 batters who can replace injured Devon Conway in CSK for IPL 2024
WPL 2024: Mandhana's graceful 80, Perry's destructive fifty leads RCB to 23-run win over UP Warriorz in last match of Bengaluru leg