Nagpur: Vidarbha’s hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma, who grabbed opportunities with both hands in last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with his exploits with the willow and some smart work behind the stumps, has received maiden India call-up for the ongoing Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka.
With number one choice stumper Rishabh Pant recuperating in hospital after meeting with an accident and Sanju Samson, who played first game of the three-match series, out of contention for second game to be played on Thursday due to an injury, Sharma has been included in the 15-member Indian team. Samson hurt his knee while fielding during the first game that India won by two runs.
Gold Rate
Thursday 09 Jan. 2025
It is reliably learnt that Sharma left for Pune by 4 am flight from Nagpur. Though Ishan Kishan, who kept wickets in the tour opener, is there in the squad of 15, Sharma has been included in the team as a cover. Sharma has had a pretty good Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament (T20) remaining not out on most of the occasions coming in as a middle order batter. In the IPL, playing for Punjab Kings, the Amravati lad, impressed one and all including the likes of former India opener Virender Sehwag, who (then) went on to say that if he was the Indian selector, he would have picked Sharma for World Twenty20 that was staged in Australia in September-October 2022.
Sharma was picked by the IPL team on his smart show in the previous edition where he ended the tournament with best strike rate (235.16) and maximum number of sixes (19).With Punjab Kings, he got instant success with his dare-devil batting approach and smart wicket-keeping. He will join a select band of Vidarbha players including Prashant Vaidya, Umesh Yadav and Faiz Fazal to represent India, if he makes it to the playing eleven in the remaining two games of the series.
