Former England batter Kevin Pietersen believes that Punjab Kings (PBKS) wicket-keeper batsman Jitesh Sharma might have the potential to fill Rishabh Pant’s spot in the Indian national cricket team. Pant, who is presently out of play indefinitely due to a vehicular accident, was an integral part of the national Test side. He was also an important member of the ODI and T20 squads. His unavailability is sure to leave a significant void in the Indian national squad across all three formats of the game.
Jitesh’s finishing skills have been praised since his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2022. Sharma scored 234 runs as a keeper-batter in his first season, with a strike rate of 163. He has been moved up the order often this season due to the absences of Jonny Bairstow and Bhanuka Rajapaksa but has mostly been utilised as a finisher. He once again demonstrated his hard-hitting ability against the Mumbai Indians (MI), blasting four sixes in his seven-ball innings. So far this season he has scored 145 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of almost 150.
In his Betway column, Pietersen suggested that Jitesh might be a fantastic alternative option if Rishabh Pant is expected to be absent for an extended period. “India has their Rishabh Pant replacement. Jitesh Sharma, the wicket-keeper from Punjab Kings, is also something special. I think he could be the guy who takes over from Rishabh Pant 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 wrote.
{{/usCountry}}In his Betway column, Pietersen suggested that Jitesh might be a fantastic alternative option if Rishabh Pant is expected to be absent for an extended period. “India has their Rishabh Pant replacement. Jitesh Sharma, the wicket-keeper from Punjab Kings, is also something special. I think he could be the guy who takes over from Rishabh Pant 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 wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Whoever gets the chance to replace Pant in the national side will have big shoes to fill as the injured gloveman has scored over 2200 runs in 33 Test matches at an average of 43, scoring 11 half-centuries and 5 centuries. While he has scored almost 900 runs in 30 ODI matches at an average of 35 notching up 5 half-centuries and a solitary century. Pant is not expected to return to fitness before 2024 as he is expected to be out for another seven-eight months.