Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed his support with a heart-filled reaction on Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s social media post after wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma was left out of the 15-man squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Jitesh had featured in India’s T20I squads throughout the year, including the 2025 Asia Cup and bilateral series against Australia and South Africa. The right-hander managed 62 runs from five innings at an impressive strike rate of 158.97 in limited chances.
In his T20I career so far, he has scored 162 runs in 12 innings across 16 matches at a strike rate of 151.40 for India. RCB’s post featured Jitesh gazing skyward with the caption, “All Heart. Born to fight.” while sharing the image, the franchise wrote:
“Brave. Bold. Brilliant. Can’t wait to see Jitesh’s heroics in the T20 format this IPL.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSe3ZWKAe4M/?igsh=OXpwaHNkYjVlcmIy
Responding to the post, Ruturaj Gaikwad showed his support by posting four heart emojis along with a virtual hug. See below:
Ishan Kishan Replaces Jitesh Sharma In 2026 T20 World Cup Squad After SMAT Heroics
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named Ishan Kishan as Jitesh Sharma’s replacement in the squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Leading Jharkhand, Kishan finished as the highest run-getter in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, amassing 517 runs in 10 innings, including two centuries and two half-centuries.
He also struck a match-winning 101 in the final against Haryana, steering Jharkhand to their first-ever T20 title. RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik admitted he was surprised by the omission of both Jitesh Sharma and Shubman Gill from the final 2026 T20 World Cup squad, stating that the selectors’ decision lacked clarity. Sharing his thoughts in an Instagram post, he wrote:
“They wanted to bring in an extra opener, so they brought in Ishaan Kishan and dropped Jitesh Sharma as well. Instead of Jitesh Sharma, it’s gonna be Rinku Singh. That is huge news, dropping Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma. I didn’t see that coming. Just tells you there’s a little bit of clarity lacking. They’ve backed Shubman Gill for so long, and come the day when they pick the squad, they have let him go.”
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