Image Credit- BCCI
Two of India’s great hitters who don’t use up balls to
get their eye in have been hidden in plain sight. The country has been
searching for such players in their T20 middle order.
Jitesh Sharma, a batter and wicketkeeper, joined the
Indian team with some amazing stats. He was the third-fastest scorer in T20
cricket since 2021 halfway through the 2023 Indian Premier League. At a strike
rate of 150 or higher, only two batters were able to score 30 or more more
often than him. Nobody in the second half of a T20 innings scored as swiftly as
he did with a strike rate of 194. Jitesh’s hitting efficiency is what stands
out the most: he averages 37 while striking at 177.
Rinku Singh won the match that could not be won,
shocking everyone with five sixes in five balls, yet that result wasn’t
unexpected. In the IPL, he averages 36 and reaches 142; in the domestic T20s,
he reaches 32 and 145. He may have surpassed Jitesh in the world rankings since
he is a left-hand batter, and he has not let anyone down. After ten T20Is,
Rinku averages sixty and has a strike rate of 188.
Jitesh had little luck when it came to India’s
selection: he only appeared in the final two of the team’s five Twenty20
Internationals against Australia, despite being included in the squad of 15. In
those games, he scored 24 off 16 balls and 35 off 19 balls.
There is now some reluctance to completely restructure
the national team based on IPL performance for one or two seasons. Even if T20
form is erratic and it’s wise to seize opportunities when they arise, it makes
sense that India’s team management and selectors are unsure of these hitters’
potential for international success after just two IPL seasons.
With the World Cup in mind, Jitesh and Rinku need to
win all three of the Twenty20 international matches in South Africa. For the
three Twenty20 Internationals, South Africa will present a formidable XI, save
from Anrich Nortje (hurt) and Kagiso Rabada (resting). The hitters will also be
put to the test by the pitches’ bounce. Rinku and Jitesh have to rise to the
occasion in order to persuade the team management and selectors of their
abilities.
Thus, even if Rinku and Jitesh performed well in the
IPL and had promising openings to their international careers, they still have
to prove their worth to the team management and selectors when they begin the
series in South Africa. Furthermore, it happens outside of game times. Aside
from being put through their paces against the sidearm during training, this is
another way to assess their quality.
For the time being, the T20 World Cup roster may
include both, just one, or neither of them. It is to be hoped that their
performance in South Africa will determine this, rather than the veteran
players’ performances for the IPL clubs they will not be representing India in
the World Cup.