Ever since the retirement of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the Indian team has been desperately searching for finishers in the shortest format, and with the focus now shifting towards the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US, next June, Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma have shown great potential in the limited opportunities to take up the role.
Products of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rinku and Jitesh came into the limelight with their impactful finishing touches for their respective franchises, and have smoothly translated their form when they finally got a chance to don the Blue jersey.
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Rinku became an overnight sensation when he smoked five sixes in five balls to power the Kolkata Knight Riders to a stunning victory over Gujarat Giants in the last season of the IPL, and went on to earn his India cap against Ireland in August. Since then there has been no looking back for the Uttar Pradesh batter in the 10 T20Is he has played so far, averaging 60 at a rocketing at a strike rate of 188.
Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, who earned his India jersey during the Asian Games, however, did not get much opportunity with the bat in Hangzhou but gave a trailer of his finishing skills when he was included in the playing XI for the final two T20Is against Australia in the recently-concluded home series. Jitesh’s India selection came on the back of some incredible performances in the IPL, where he plied his trade for the Punjab Kings in the 2023 edition, and midway into the tournament he was the third fastest scorer in innings of under-30 balls in T20 cricket since 2021. What makes it even more special is the fact that only two batters managed to score 30 or more, at a strike rate of 150-plus, more frequently than him.
But with Rinku being a left-hander, he might have got the push ahead of Jitesh in a right-heavy Indian batting unit. With the Indian team left with only a handful of international T20Is, six to be precise (three against South Africa and three against Afghanistan) left before the mega tournament, both the batters will be expected to punch over their weight to earn the ticket to the Caribbean and the US.
At the same time, the selectors are also expected to learn from their past pickings of Dinesh Karthik, Varun Chakravarthy and Vijay Shankar based on their performances in the IPL, and unsure of their international abilities.
This makes the upcoming three T20I matches against South Africa really challenging for the likes of Jitesh and Rinku to impress the selectors of their quality. While the Proteas will be without their frontline pacers Anrich Nortje (injured) and Kagiso Rabada (rested), they still have a lot of firepower in their bowling to make the untested Indians dance to their tunes on the bouncy pitches of the Rainbow Nation.
Even if both Jitesh and Rinku manage to pass the litmus test in South Africa, it could be for their academic interest, as there’s a high chance of one or both being overlooked when the selectors finalise the World Cup squad. The reason is simple, going into the World Cup, Rohit Sharma might return as the captain, along with Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya. In that scenario, Jitesh could be pitted against a performing KL Rahul for the No.5 slot, which looks highly unlikely.
And for Rinku to be included in the Playing XI, it could be at the cost of a bowling all-rounder like Axar Patel or Ravindra Jadeja. With Hardik’s return, the No.6 slot is already taken, and if Rinku is offered the No.7 position, it will take a brave call for the team management with a thin bowling attack, which means none of the four bowlers can afford to have a bad day.
Keeping all permutations and combinations in mind, the selectors might be tempted to pick one of them as a designated finisher, and for that, both Jitesh and Rinku will now have to convince them in the limited opportunities they have in their hands, and leave the rest for the five wise men. India will play the first of the three T20Is against South Africa on December 10 in Kingsmead, Durban.
