India on its last T20I international tour at home before the marquee T20I World Cup 2024 in June begins, Indian cricket team seemed to have special liking for Punjab Super Kings dashing batter and wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma over the experience of Sanju Samson giving him continuous chances due to his flamboyant attitude with the bat in the shortest format of the game.
India is all set to take on Afghanistan in the third and final T20I of their series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 17. Jitesh Sharma has played the first two T20Is against Afghanistan, scoring 31 and 0 respectively. He broke into the Indian T20I setup following a brilliant display in IPL 2023, where he scored 309 runs while striking at 156.06 for Punjab Kings.
Jitesh Sharma’s rise to name in T20I format
The Vidarbha born cricketer Jitesh Sharma , fast rising as India’s preferred wicketkeeper in T20Is, is pretty open about his stance of giving more importance to strike rate. It comes as a breath of fresh air for the Indian team, a powerful batting unit often criticized for being timid in crunch matches. He broke into the Indian T20I setup following a brilliant display in IPL 2023, where he scored 309 runs while striking at 156.06 for Punjab Kings
The number where Jitesh mostly bats for India (mostly No.5 or below) and for Punjab Kings in the IPL, he hardly has a choice, to be honest. Unlike most players tried in the middle-order, Jitesh not only is habituated to batting at the number but also enjoys it. He has developed his game in such a way that he can come and attack from ball one
The hard work is paying dividends for the right-hander. That he was preferred over Sanju Samson for the first T20I on Thursday was his first major victory. If India need a keeper to bat No.5 or lower and score at a crisp strike rate then there is no one better than Jitesh Sharma currently believes the Indian team management .
Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel are seeing reaping huge praises for this youngster after his innings versus Afghanistan in the first T20I of the series which India won with a match to go has impressed the former cricketer and has huge words to say for this upcoming talent in Indian T20I circuit.
Jitesh Sharma is a very good option for T20 WC 2024- Parthiv Patel
Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel feels Jitesh Sharma is on the verge of sealing his place in India’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Jitesh is one of the two wicketkeeper-batters, with Sanju Samson being the other, in India’s 16-member squad for the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan. The Vidarbha player was preferred over his Kerala counterpart for the first two games.
During a discussion on Jio Cinema, Patel was asked about the faith the Indian team management has shown in Jitesh. He responded:
“Yes, they are definitely doing that and the reason for that is the number of openers or top-order batters we have in the Indian team. There is a sort of traffic jam at the top because you have Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is injured, and Shubman Gill, who opened in the first match,“
The former India wicketkeeper-batter added:
“So India’s option is probably to have a wicketkeeper who can bat down the order. If you have to bat down the order, you need a destructive batter. The way Jitesh Sharma is playing, he is a very good option and I feel his ticket to the World Cup has started getting printed slightly,”
Patel noted that Jitesh is seemingly the only middle-order wicketkeeper-batter option available for the Men in Blue. He reasoned that the other contenders Sanju Samson, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan who primarily bats in the top order.
“He understood the situation very well and played according to that” – Parthiv Patel on Jitesh Sharma’s knock in the first T20I
Parthiv Patel praised Jitesh Sharma for playing as per the demands of the situation in the first T20I against Afghanistan. He said:
“The sample size is very small, but when he came to bat in the first T20I, he came before the 10th over. I feel he understood the situation very well and played according to that,”
The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that the right-hander showed a different facet of his game. He elaborated:
“He didn’t have to bat the way he usually does. He had to settle a little, keep the strike rate slightly low, and then play his shots. It means he showed another dimension as well, that he can also build an innings,”
Patel also lauded Jitesh for his glovework behind the wickets. He was particularly appreciative of his stumping of Rahmanullah Gurbaz off Axar Patel’s bowling in the first T20I against Afghanistan, highlighting that the left-arm spinner’s angle makes it difficult for a wicketkeeper when the ball goes between the bat and the pad.
With the spot in the T20I 2024 World Cup at stake and IPL 2024 the next big thing before the marquee event in June, Jitesh who has to face steep competition from the likes of KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson believes that attractive 30s may not be enough to guarantee him a spot in India’s XI. He wants to improve on his finishing skills with improved strike rates in this IPL season to keep him reckoning for the upcoming marquee event.