Interestingly, Sharma was previously included in the India squad for the home series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
The squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies, set to commence on August 3, was announced by the All India selection committee led by the newly appointed Chairman of Selectors, Ajit Agarkar. Several promising youngsters who displayed exceptional performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) were included in the squad.
Unfortunately, PBKS wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma did not secure a place, despite having high hopes of being called up due to the absence of regular wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Instead, the selectors opted for Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan over him. Interestingly, Sharma was previously included in the India squad for the home series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
During the IPL 2023, Sharma played for Punjab Kings and accumulated 309 runs in 14 matches, boasting an average of 23.77 and an impressive strike rate of 156.06.
Sharma recently expressed his disappointment regarding this missed opportunity and speculated that perhaps destiny has bigger plans in store for him. He also spoke about being in the presence of head coach Rahul Dravid and recounted the valuable advice he received from him.
Jitesh was quoted as saying by Cricket.com, “God has a bigger plan for me. They were quite welcoming. Rahul (Dravid) sir told me that you are doing very well and these are the kind of players that we are looking for. When I told him that I want to score big runs, he told me that at the position you play, runs don’t matter, impact matters. The more you contribute towards the win, that will be important for the team.”
In his T20 career, Sharma has amassed 2096 runs from 90 matches, maintaining an average of 29.11 and an impressive strike rate of 149.07. Additionally, he has recorded one century and nine half-centuries in the shortest format of the game.
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