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'We will see him playing for India in the next one year': Virender Sehwag gushes about 'watch out' young IPL star
Virender Sehwag said that the youngster seems to have figured out the basics of T20 batting and is excelling in it.
Punjab Kings were unable to defend a target of 215 against the Mumbai Indians. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav's explosive innings putting the mammoth target within MI's reach. Kishan slammed 75 runs in 41 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes while Suryakumar Yadav scored 66 off 31 with eight fours and two sixes. The pair shared a 116-run stand that came in just 55 balls for the third wicket.
It was a partnership that ended up matching another almost miraculous stand that PBKS benefitted from in their innings. PBKS had only reached 95/3 in the 12th over when Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma came together. The English big hitter ended up scoring an unbeaten 82 off 42 balls while young wicketkeeper Jitesh was not out on 49 off 27. The pair put up 119 runs off 53 balls for the fourth wicket.
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While the innings marked a bit of a return to form for Livingstone, this was just the latest in a long sequence of great innings for PBKS from Jitesh. Former India batter Virender Sehwag said that Jitesh seems to have figured out the basics of T20 batting and is doing a great job in sticking to them.
“I always tell kids, just see the ball and do whatever you think you can with it, hit it, leave it or block it. Those are the simple basics of batting and that is what Jitesh Sharma was doing. He was looking at the ball and if it was hittable he was going for it or taking a single. In this format you can't leave a delivery. He was keeping it quite simple,” said Sehwag.
Sehwag said that the Mumbai Indians' bowling attack is weak, Jitesh had to work to make those runs. “The wicket was great and the bowling wasn't that great. But even then, you have to make those runs. Today if I go to play with under 13 kids, I may not make runs. I will have to work like them to make runs. That is what Jitesh Sharma has done here, even though the bowling was weak, he worked for those runs. Shot selection was great. I have said this earlier as well, Jitesh Sharma is a watch out player, maybe in the next one year we will get to see him playing for India,” he said.
