Jitesh Sharma. (Source – Photo by SURJEET YADAV/AFP via Getty Images)
Jitesh Sharma batted in 12 innings in IPL 2024 and managed to score 187 runs at a strike rate of 131.6. He commenced his IPL journey with a scintillating display of pyrotechnics, smashing 32 runs off just 15 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The 30-year-old admitted that he was in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup 2024 but with Indian team filled with wicketkeeper-batters, his chance did not arrive. Other than Rishabh Pant, the likes of KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, and Dhruv Jurel are all vying for a spot in the national team. There is also Ishan Kishan, who is also undergoing domestic grind to cement the spot.
Jitesh quipped that he was too engrossed in hoping for a World Cup berth and that resulted in his underwhelming performance in IPL 2024. “When the IPL started, I was thinking a lot about the World Cup and maybe that’s why I wasn’t able to focus much on the given match,” Jitesh told India TV.
“I am not ashamed to accept it. It is what it is. I couldn’t think clearly because the World Cup selection was so much on my mind. The moment the team was picked, my batting got much better. Then I got more free in my head since I knew I wasn’t in the team because I knew I had to focus and score runs and hence I was able to play 2-3 good knocks towards the end of the tournament,” he confessed.
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Jitesh has played nine T20Is for India and has scored 100 runs at an average of 14.28 and an impressive strike rate of 147.05. He last played against Afghanistan in January 2024. The right-handed batter scored 309 runs at a strike rate of 156.06 in IPL 2023 and was unequivocal in admitting that even he would not have selected himself for the World Cup if he were an Indian selector.
“If I was a selector, I wouldn’t have picked myself at that moment because Rishabh Pant had come back and proved himself and the form Sanju bhai was in, I wouldn’t have picked myself. I too would have preferred those two only,” he added.