The 2023 Indian Premier League has seen a number of uncapped Indian players stepping up with strong performances. While some of the young guns – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ayush Badoni, and Nehal Wadhera among others – have put out impressive outings in the season, many who had been a part of the league for a while have enjoyed a breakthrough season. And Punjab Kings' Jitesh Sharma is one of them. Batting largely in the middle and lower-middle order, Jitesh has scored 260 runs in 11 matches so far at a brilliant strike rate of 160.49.
The wicketkeeper-batter had an impressive season last year as well, but with another stellar edition to his belt so far, Jitesh has shown tremendous consistency and is being touted for an Indian call-up in the limited-overs squads. While Jitesh has previously been in the Team India squad (as replacement for Sanju Samson in the T20I series against Sri Lanka earlier this month), he didn't find a place in the XI.
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But former Indian all-rounder and one of the IPL greats, Suresh Raina, believes that Jitesh is already in selectors' eyes and could soon be a part of the national team. When Hindustan Times asked Raina if Jitesh is potentially the closest to MS Dhoni when it comes to wicketkeeper-batter options, the former Chennai Super Kings star insisted that the 29-year-old from Vidarbha could be a “great” option for the team in the middle-order.
“He's playing brilliantly in the middle-order so far. He's played some important cameos. He's an aggressive player, he had already been a part of Indian team but yes, he can be a great middle-order player. His wicketkeeping skills are good. He's really impressed everyone with the way he's batting. I'm sure the selectors would look at him again. His hitting abilities are really good, and you will see him a lot more in the future,” Raina, who is also an IPL expert on Jio Cinema, said in a media interaction.
{{/usCountry}}“He's playing brilliantly in the middle-order so far. He's played some important cameos. He's an aggressive player, he had already been a part of Indian team but yes, he can be a great middle-order player. His wicketkeeping skills are good. He's really impressed everyone with the way he's batting. I'm sure the selectors would look at him again. His hitting abilities are really good, and you will see him a lot more in the future,” Raina, who is also an IPL expert on Jio Cinema, said in a media interaction.
{{/usCountry}}Jitesh had made his IPL debut last year for the Punjab Kings after spending time with the Mumbai Indians between 2016-17 earlier. He justifiably didn't get a game for MI but dished out solid performances for Vidarbha in domestic cricket, that earned him a bid from the PBKS ahead of the 2022 season.