He hailed CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad who is a close friend.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are a dream team to play for any cricketer aspiring to scale new heights in his career. Look at Anshul Kamboj. The Haryana pacer, after three games with Mumbai Indians (MI) last season, has gained a big following after being bought by CSK in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction.
It was a similar story with current skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad after he was bought by the franchise in 2020. The Maharashtra batter went on to play a crucial role in two title triumphs and had also made his international debut in 2021.
Besides the fan adulation, there is also the factor of being part of the same dressing room as cricketing greats such as MS Dhoni. Jitesh Sharma had a similar desire as he wished to play for CSK after meeting the former Indian captain during domestic competition.
“CSK attracted me because they have a history of grooming players. And Ruturaj is my close friend. I’ve played a lot with him. That’s why I wanted to go to CSK. Because I’ve seen many players being groomed there,” Jitesh told Cricxtasy in an exclusive interview.
He revealed the conversations he had with Dhoni, which made him gravitate towards CSK.
“I have had quite a few [conversations with MS Dhoni]. Not a long, deep conversations with him, though. Just small talks—like, I once asked him about wicketkeeping, he replied, ‘Beta, your keeping is great. There’s nothing to nitpick,”” Jitesh added.
The Vidarbha keeper-batter still rues losing the picture of himself and Dhoni after meeting during a Vijay Hazare Trophy match.
“I first met Dhoni through Ambati Bhai (Ambati Rayudu). He had played Vijay Hazare Trophy with us. So, I asked him to take a picture with Dhoni. You won’t believe it, but I can’t find that picture anymore. It’s just gone,” he said.
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Jitesh was also full of praise for Gaikwad, who succeeded Ravindra Jadeja and Dhoni as the franchise captain last year. He hailed the 28-year-old’s composure under pressure, having seen him play for Maharashtra and India.
“And Ruturaj Gaikwad. His decision-making under pressure is what made him CSK’s captain. He is very calm and composed. He makes the right decisions under pressure. It’s great to see how far Rutu [Ruturaj] has come. Rutu has a personal chef now. So, when I visit him, I joke that I’ll eat food made by his chef. Earlier, we used to order from hotels or delivery apps—now we’ll eat chef-cooked meals,” Jitesh said.
Ahead of the auction, the keeper-batter was asked in a chat with ESPNCricinfo which franchise he would like to play for in IPL 2025.
“If I don’t get a chance in PBKS, then MI [Mumbai Indians] or CSK [Chennai Super Kings] are good options. I like both those teams very much. I would like to play for Chennai Super Kings because of Mahi bhai and because Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK captain) is my good friend and I enjoy playing under him the same way I enjoy playing under Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) bhai,” replied Jitesh.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bought Jitesh in the November auction for INR 11 crore. He will be facing his friend Gaikwad and idol Dhoni on Thursday in Chepauk.
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