Rinku Singh (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Indian cricketer Rinku Singh suffered a personal tragedy on Friday morning as his father, Shri Khanchand Singh, passed away at Yatharth Hospital in Greater Noida after battling stage-four cancer. The hospital’s PRO confirmed the news, bringing an outpouring of condolences from across the cricketing fraternity.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Rinku had briefly left India’s T20 World Cup squad earlier in the tournament to be with his father after his condition worsened following India’s first Super 8 fixture against South Africa. Despite the emotional strain, the left-hander returned swiftly to Chennai to rejoin the squad ahead of the Zimbabwe clash.However, Rinku did not feature in the playing XI against Zimbabwe, with the team opting for Sanju Samson to open alongside Abhishek Sharma. His absence came just hours before the heartbreaking news emerged.Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his condolences in a heartfelt message on X. “Pained to learn about the demise of Shri Khanchand Singh Ji, father of Rinku Singh. This must be an especially difficult time for Rinku and his family, even as he remains committed to his responsibilities during the T20 World Cup. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with him and his loved ones. May Waheguru grant eternal peace to the departed soul and give strength and courage to the bereaved family,” he wrote.India will next travel to Kolkata for their final Super 8 clash against West Indies, but for Rinku, cricket momentarily takes a backseat as he mourns an irreplaceable loss.