India have been looking for big hitters in their T20 middle order who don't use up balls to get their eye in, and two of them have been hiding in plain sight.
Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has come into the India squad with some incredible numbers. Midway during IPL 2023, he was the third-fastest scorer in innings of under 30 balls in T20 cricket since 2021. Only two batters managed to score 30 or more, at a strike rate of 150-plus, more frequently than him. Among those who came out to bat in the second half of a T20 innings, nobody scored as quickly as his strike rate of 194. The most striking thing is Jitesh's efficiency at hitting: he averages 37 while striking at 177 from No. 4 onwards.
Rinku Singh stunned everyone with five sixes in five balls to win the unwinnable match, but that finish didn't come out of the blue. He averages 36 while striking at 142 in the IPL, and 32 and 145 in domestic T20s. Him being a left-hand batter might have pushed him ahead of Jitesh in the international pecking order, and he has not disappointed. Rinku's strike rate after 10 T20Is is 188 and he averages 60.
Jitesh didn't have much luck with India selection: even after getting picked in the squad of 15, he played only the last two out five T20Is against Australia. He scored 35 off 19 balls and 24 off 16 in those matches.
Now there is a degree of caution around overhauling the international team based on IPL success for a season or two. While T20 form is fickle and it's best to cash in when the going is good, it is also understandable if India's selectors and team management are not yet sure of the international ability of these batters based on two IPL seasons. They have seen that with the selections of Dinesh Karthik, Deepak Hooda and Varun Chakravarthy in the past.
That is why the three T20Is in South Africa are critical for Jitesh and Rinku with the World Cup in mind. Apart from Anrich Nortje (injured) and Kagiso Rabada (rested), South Africa will field a strong XI for the three T20Is. The bounce in the pitches will also test the batters. It is just the kind of challenge Rinku and Jitesh need to overcome to convince the selectors and the team management of their quality.
At any rate, there might not be room for both in the XI or even in the World Cup squad. The message coming out of the camp is that of conservatism. Rohit Sharma might be back as T20I captain. If so, it will take a brave man to announce that Virat Kohli is not playing. That will mean the wicketkeeper has to be a No. 5, which could pit Jitesh against KL Rahul, who has shown potential for that role in the past.
That means Rinku gets into the XI only if India play him at No. 7 because a fit Hardik Pandya is a certainty at No. 6. But Rinku at No. 7 leaves the bowling thin, with no room for a bad day for the four specialist bowlers after him.
What we might call conservative, India's decision-makers might describe as valuing experience, which you can't scoff at: the sustained success of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in the IPL shows the value of experience in the T20 format.
So despite doing everything right in the IPL, despite making bright starts to their international careers, Rinku and Jitesh start the series in South Africa needing to convince the team management and the selectors of their quality. And it is not just during the matches. The test of quality can come while training too, where they can be put through their paces against the sidearm.
For now, there could be room for both, just one, or neither of them in the squad for the T20 World Cup. You hope that depends on what they do in South Africa, rather than what the experienced hands do while playing roles for their IPL teams that they will not be playing for India at the World Cup.