Jitesh Sharma, the wicketkeeper-batter for Vidarbha and Punjab Kings, has established himself as the finisher over the course of the last two IPL seasons. He is now set to dazzle everyone in China at Asian Games 2023 with his broad variety of strokes. Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag, former cricketers for India, have praised his daring strokeplay and wish to see him in the T20 lineup.
The 29-year-old has been chosen for the Hangzhou, China-based Asian Games 2023. Jitesh claims that being chosen for the Asiad will change his life. He already has a few items on his to-do list, with seeing Neeraj Chopra and leaving with the entire Indian delegation during the opening ceremony at the top of the list.
“Milkha Singh ka movie jaisa vibe aayega jab saare ladke walk karenge. It will be an absolute privilege to walk with the top sportspersons of our country,” Jitesh told The Indian Express.
“I’d like to meet Neeraj Chopra. He is a hero. Nothing, in my opinion, can compare to him winning an Olympic gold. I’d want to meet him and will make an effort to discuss his philosophy. Individual sports are challenging to play. In cricket, there are always ten people around you, providing moral support. However, in a solo sport, you are by yourself on the pitch.”
“It will be a very good experience to be in the games village with other athletes, have breakfast with them, and train with them in the gym. Understanding their routine and how they got into their business. In cricket tournaments, you don’t get to live those experiences. It will be a life-changing experience for me,” he added.
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It’s been a long road for him—from not really intending to play cricket to altering his batting technique and developing into a power hitter. Jitesh was forced to study cricket as he lacked a coach and had to watch videos on YouTube, most of which featured Adam Gilchrist and Sourav Ganguly.
In order to improve his batting and achieve his goal of being a 360-degree hitter, he is once more turning to YouTube. He is binge-watching Suryakumar Yadav’s batting tutorials before trying to put them into practise on the practise nets.
“I am just trying to observe Suryakumar Yadav. Main unke jitna skilfull nahi hoon (I am not as skilful as him). But I am watching his videos on how he manipulates the field, how he plays those risk-free shots. I am just trying to learn from his batting. Everyone has a different skill set. I am just trying to explore my game and make it 360,” he said.
His keeping is the second element of his game that he is currently developing. He said: “I am trying to be calmer when I am keeping. As a wicketkeeper, my feedback is very important for the team. When you are keeping for so long, you can’t bring sudden changes in your skillset. You can do minor adjustments.”
Jitesh played well for Punjab Kings in 2022, scoring 234 runs in 12 innings while maintaining a 163.63 strike rate. He then won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Vidarbha in 2022, making 224 runs in 10 games with a 175.00 strike rate.
By amassing 309 runs at a strike rate of 156.06 while batting No. 5 or below in IPL 2023, he ensured that he would not be a one-season wonder.
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