Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has made a big prediction on Punjab Kings' star batter Jitesh Sharma ahead of their clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Mohali on Wednesday (May 3).
Shastri termed Jitesh the find of IPL and said that the way the star wicketkeeper batter is creating a buzz in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), he will earn India call anytime soon.
Jitesh has emerged as a complete package with impressive wicketkeeping skill and power-hitting knack. In a total of nine matches, he has scored 190 runs at a stunning strike rate of 162.39 while batting at no.7, which also includes a match-winning 25 off 7 balls against MI on April 22. In the IPL Auction 2023, the Punjab franchise acquired the services of Jitesh for Rs 20.00 lakhs.
"He's the find of the IPL. Rishabh Pant is unfortunately not available but this guy can enter the Indian team anytime. Lower down the order, he's a todu (fantastic) player. His keeping is great, and he is fearless. You're talking about Shikhar, he missed 2-3 games with injury, but his intent is amazing. He scored 20-25, but the intent with which he plays is amazing. And then of-course, they have (Liam) Livingstone and (Sam) Curran,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.
Jitesh could be a good choice as India's wicketkeeper in the absence of Rishabh Pant, who is still recovering from the injuries that he incurred during a brutal car crash last year in December.
With half of the IPL season still to go, Jitesh will try his best to make a case for Team India, who will be taking on West Indies in the limited over formats in July right after the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June.
Few days back former England skipper Kevin Pietersen suggested Jitesh as a good alternative for Pant.
“India have their Rishabh Pant replacement. Jitesh Sharma, the wicketkeeper from Punjab Kings, is also something special. I think he could be the guy who takes over from Rishabh for India if Pant is out for a while longer. His 25 off seven balls, including four sixes, against Mumbai on Saturday was match-winning,” Pietersen had written in a column.
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