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Jitesh Sharma returns to the India squad for the Asia Cup, following a title-winning IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and mentorship from Dinesh Karthik.
India wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma
Jitesh Sharma is set to return to the Indian dressing room after more than a year. The wicketkeeper-batter was named in the Asia Cup squad after Rishabh Pant failed to recover from a toe injury, sustained during the England tour. Jitesh comes into India’s T20I set-up as an IPL champion, helping the Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinch their maiden title earlier this year.
Meanwhile, RCB batting coach Dinesh Karthik has made some interesting revelations about the 30-year-old who recently shifted bases from Vidarbha to Baroda. Speaking to Cricbuzz, the former India stumper said Jitesh was never desperate to play for India, rather, he wanted to master the skill of finishing matches for his team.
“I think he was never someone who was desperate to play for India,” Dinesh Karthik was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“And he was very free, and he went about playing very confidently for Kings, and then made it to the Indian team. And then he knew that he was on the fringes when he didn’t do as well, and the T20 World Cup 2024 was around the corner. That’s when he became desperate. That kind of filtered into his performances, which weren’t as good as he wanted them to be, and he put himself under immense pressure.”
After parting ways with Punjab Kings, Jitesh was roped in by RCB to fill the void left by Karthik. As stated by the former Tamil Nadu gloveman, Jitesh, like any other cricketer, wanted to play for the country but not by burdening himself with expectations and leaving behind the idea of enjoying the game. Once Jitesh found a coach in Karthik, the process of fine-tuning the skillset kicked off.
“What he wanted to work on was how do I finish a game? How do I get the team to above par? So he was playing a lot of cameos, never knowing how to get that big innings that was required to win a game or take the team far in the first innings. I kind of know what it takes to do that. With the skills he had, there was so much potential that I just needed to unlock it,” Karthik said.
“He was someone who could hit very well down the ground. He had a very good vertical swing. But what he didn’t have too much of was any sort of innovative shots. It was almost a taboo because I think wherever he played, everybody had told him that you have so many good shots down the ground. Why would you try and do things behind? You need to try and understand what your strengths are,” he added.
Karthik’s mentorship worked wonders for Jitesh. His sparkling knock against Pant stood out as a memorable one, and just a week later, his quickfire 24 in the final played a key role in RCB lifting the trophy. All that effort and learning has now paid off, with Jitesh earning an India call-up for the Asia Cup in the UAE.
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had …Read More
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had … Read More
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The post‘Jitesh Was Never Desperate To Play For India, He Was Free…’: RCB Coach’s Interesting Revelation | Cricket News appeared first on News18