Being a T20 specialist can be unforgiving. You have to constantly walk the tightrope of a risk-reward game as a thrill-a-minute approach that propels you into fame can also send your career graph into a tailspin.
Jitesh Sharma, who last donned the Indian jersey back in January 2024 after two impactful Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Punjab Kings, can be a case in point.
The 31-year-old made his India debut at the Asian Games in October 2023 and played three breezy cameos lower down the order in the home T20Is against Australia and Afghanistan that followed before being left out of the squad for the T20 World Cup.
He found a place in the squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh at home in October last year but didn’t figure in the playing XI in any of three games, with Sanju Samson cementing his place as wicketkeeper-batter with a whirlwind century in the third match.
“A finisher plays high-risk cricket. It is impossible to be consistent at No. 5, 6 or 7 in T20 cricket. How many matches you win for the team should be counted, rather than how consistent you are. If you are consistent but your team is losing, what’s the point of that consistency?” Jitesh, who was left out of the upcoming T20I series against England, says.
After nine T20I appearances for India, Jitesh averages just 14.28 while maintaining his high-tempo game with a strike rate of 147.05. His ball-striking ability in IPL 2022 and 2023 was what had caught everyone’s attention as the selectors were on the lookout for a finisher ahead of the T20 World Cup.
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Jitesh featured in the home T20Is against Afghanistan, India’s last assignment before the global showpiece, but didn’t help his case with an underwhelming IPL 2024 season, where he just managed 187 runs in 12 innings while striking at 131.69.
“Because of the World Cup, I was thinking too much. I am a person who always thinks of taking it one game at a time. But during that phase, I was thinking about World Cup selection because it was the first time I was so close to it. I am not ashamed of it, and it was a very good learning,” Jitesh tells Sportstar.
He still figures in the list of the top six Indians with the highest strike rate (149.48) among those who have scored at least 2,000 T20 runs. But with the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Rajat Patidar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh also in the top 10 of that elite band, Jitesh acknowledges that the competition is tough.
“This is cricket, and in India, you know the competition is very high. You can’t give any margin to anyone. I am not disappointed, and I am just focusing on how to grow. I don’t have any grudge,” he says.
Samson and Dhruv Jurel were picked as the two wicketkeeper-batters in India’s squad for the England series, set to start on January 22, and Jitesh says they were deserving candidates.
“They deserve everything they are getting. I am trying to improve the areas I am lacking in. Sanju bhai is an extraordinary player, and Dhruv is also doing well in red-ball cricket.”
Second wind
Jitesh is no stranger to being sidelined, having spent two seasons at Mumbai Indians (2016 and 2017) on the bench before making a mark in his debut season in 2022.
Now, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru reposing immense faith in him by securing his services for Rs. 11 crore at the auction last year, Jitesh is raring to go.
“I wasn’t expecting so much money. I was expecting around Rs. 6 to 8 crore. But RCB showed so much belief in me, and I am very grateful for this opportunity. More than pressure, this is a challenge for me, and I feel I am worthy of it. It feels good that they attached such a huge price tag on me when they increased my value against the Right to Match option. It gives me more confidence rather than pressure. It is now my turn to give it back to the team,” he says.
The wicketkeeper-batter is looking forward to his association with batting coach Dinesh Karthik, who was instrumental in earmarking the explosive batter, keeping in mind his hitting ability and the prevalent conditions at the franchise’s home ground.
“I am looking forward to working with DK bhai. He played a similar role for RCB, and I am going to fill in his shoes. People are expecting me to take Virat Kohli’s name, but I am taking DK bhai’s name because he is someone who can teach me more,” Jitesh tells Sportstar.
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After the auction in November last year, Karthik had stated, “He [Jitesh] is a very explosive middle-order batter. We wanted someone who is on the fringes of the Indian team and he is right there. We’ve seen what he can do in the IPL. He has got areas that he can hit, RCB being a ground where you can play spin well, he comes as a very very good option.”
The small boundaries at RCB’s home ground – the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium – are also conducive to Jitesh’s natural game and he is excited about the prospect of clearing the ropes more often than not.
“All the current and former RCB players have been telling me that I will love batting there. They said that even if you mistime the ball, it will go for a six. I told them I don’t want to mistime anything; I want to time everything. I am going to focus more on winning matches for RCB rather than scoring runs,” Jitesh quips.
His batting position has forced Jitesh to embrace the idea of ‘low-volume and high-impact’ runs, and even with his India career at stake, he is steadfast to his belief.
“I love to win matches. If I score runs but the team loses, I don’t like that. I am the happiest person if I score a duck, but the team wins. Winning and losing is the ultimate in sport,” he says.
As to whether the upcoming IPL season give his career a second wind, Jitesh replies, “God’s plan, as Rinku always says.”