Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Dinesh Karthik lauded Jitesh Sharma for refining his T20 skills following a stellar IPL 2025 season. The Vidarbha wicket-keeper’s key contributions helped RCB secure their maiden title and earned him a recall to India’s T20I squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup.
Jitesh was RCB’s priciest Indian buy at the mega auction, commanding a whopping INR 11 crore. The franchise even matched Punjab Kings’ Right-to-Match price, adding an extra four crores to secure him. Sharma excelled as the team’s finisher, delivering several match-defining cameos.
His standout performances came during the latter stages of the tournament, including an unbeaten 85 off 33 balls against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to guide RCB to a top-two finish. He also played a vital 10-ball 24-run cameo in the final against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Dinesh Karthik observed that Jitesh Sharma wasn’t initially eager to play for India, but being on the radar for the 2024 T20 World Cup had a noticeable impact on his performance.
“I think he was never someone who was desperate to play for India. he was very free and he went about playing very confidently for Kings, and then made it to the Indian team. And then he knew that he was on the fringes when he didn’t do as well, and the T20 World Cup 2024 was around the corner.”
“That’s when he became desperate. That kind of filtered into his performances which weren’t as good as he wanted them to be, and he put himself under immense pressure,” Dinesh Karthik said in an interview with Cricbuzz.
“I Was Fond Of Him”: Jitesh Sharma Misses Out On World Cup Spot
Jitesh Sharma capitalized on the wicket-keeper spot in the Indian team following Rishabh Pant’s unfortunate car accident. He played extensively at the end of 2023 and in early 2024 but missed out on a place in the World Cup squad as the returning Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson were preferred.
“I was quite fond of the kid. Because he was very honest, very earnest, and wanted to really improve and do well. But I think it got to a point where he wasn’t sure how to move forward from there. I just took note of it and kept it,” Dinesh Karthik added.”
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