Can India’s T20 fringe players step out of the shadows?

Indias transition phase continues and with it comes a fresh batch of hopefuls all scrambling for a piece of the limelightTheir secondstring players like Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma who have been on the fringes for a while will now be given their golden opportunity in the South Africa T20I series starting Friday This will be their chance to shed the label of being mere sidekicks and elevate themselves to the ranks of firstchoice players in the Indian T20I setupNaturally this will be an important seriesmdashthough for the most part it could feel like a few promising players hoping to make some noise before everyone forgets about them againLetrsquos start with Sanju Samson the man whorsquos been a part of Indiarsquos T20I plans for what feels like an eternity but never truly cemented a permanent spot The most recent T20I series against Bangladesh was supposed to be a sign of things to comeIt was in that series after a lifetime of false starts that Samson was allowed to open the batting consistently And of course Samson did what Samson does bestmdashflashes brilliance when itrsquos most neededCase in point a scintillating 111 from 47 balls against Bangladesh which made everyone sit up and take notice Now in the postRohit Sharma era Samson finds himself in a position where he has to prove his worth again A string of solid performances against South Africa would help him solidify his claim for a permanent opening spot in the T20Is But then again wersquove heard this story beforeMeanwhile Abhishek Sharma the explosive lefthander who has made a name for himself in domestic circles is equally desperate to break free from the lsquopromising but inconsistentrsquo tagAlso ReadSpin curse struck IndiaSure he tore into Zimbabwe in July with a sparkling 47ball century but letrsquos not get carried away His other six international inningsmdash0 10 14 16 15 and 4mdashbarely inspire confidenceSharma who has been inconsistent at best must now strive to prove that he can do more than just a oneoff standout performance He needs to show that he has the mental fortitude and consistency to be a fixture on the T20I side Itrsquos not like consistency has ever been the calling card of this team anyway Perhaps a few decent runs against South Africa and a more penetrative performance with his leftarm spin might just do the trickThen there is Tilak Varma who had a somewhat promising start to his T20I career but has since faded into the background like a forgotten note in a concert His early performances against the West Indies last year created a bit of a buzz but since then it has been a string of underwhelming outings After 12 appearances including one halfcentury Varma has barely been able to spark any real momentum Now even though he has started to experiment with his offspin his place in the T20I squad is as uncertain as everThis series against South Africa then represents a lastchance saloon for him If he doesnrsquot make an impression here we might be looking at another lost talent languishing in the periphery of Indian cricketJitesh Sharma the wicketkeeperbatter who once seemed to have an outside chance of making it big in the T20I squad now finds himself several rungs down the pecking order He has been passed over in favour of others and the IPL has been no help either But this series once again presents him with the opportunity to make a statement If he manages to string together a few good performances he might just find himself back in the selectors good booksSimilarly Varun Chakravarthy the mystery spinner who once had the cricketing world on edge with his mystical deliveries will need to prove that his recent spell against Bangladeshmdashwhere he took five wicketsmdashwas not just a flash in the pan Chakravarthy who has always been known for his enigmatic bowling will now face a litmus test Can he back up his occasional brilliance with sustained performancesWhile the secondstringers are frantically trying to make their mark the newlook pace attackmdashfeaturing Arshdeep Singh Avesh Khan Vyshak Vijaykumar and Yash Dayalmdashwill also be under the spotlight Arshdeep and Avesh have had their moments at the international level but they have also shown that they are prone to the occasional bout of mediocrityOn the other hand Vyshak and Dayal are largely unknown quantities at the international level despite their decent performances in domestic cricket and the IPL They will now be expected to carry that form forward and prove that they can handle the pressure of the big stage If they do well it will be seen as a triumph for Indian fast bowlingAnd lets not forget Ramandeep Singh the allrounder who made waves in IPL 2024 and was promptly retained by Kolkata Knight Riders He is being billed as someone with multiple skill setsmdashan aggressive batter a medium pacer and a gun outfield fielder But all he needs now is to prove that he can deliver under pressure He might look impressive in the domestic circuit but translating that success to the international stage is a whole different ballgameThen there are the veteransmdashSuryakumar Yadav Hardik Pandya and Axar Patelmdashwho will be hoping for a strong series after Indiarsquos disappointing home defeat to New Zealand The focus will inevitably be on the emerging players but these seasoned campaigners know the stakes are high and a slipup here would only deepen the wounds from the recent series lossOn a personal level there are four playersmdashArshdeep Avesh Jitesh and Vyshakmdashwho will be eyeing big performances here after failing to get retained by their respective IPL franchises ahead of the 2024 mega auction With the IPL auction just around the corner these players know that their future in the franchisebased format depends on their international performances This series therefore represents not just an opportunity for national glory but also a chance to secure lucrative contracts in the upcoming IPL season The pressure is on but can they handle it Or will they crumble under the weight of expectations