The Indian Premier League has always given India and the world a lot of young talent that represented their countries later on. Even the ongoing 16th edition of the league has some of the young superstars performing on the biggest stage for their respective franchises.
Punjab Kings wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma is one such talent who has impressed everyone with his power-hitting ability. The 29-year-old comes to bat down the order and has played some brilliant cameos for his team in this tournament. He made his IPL debut in 2022 and played 12 games.
He caught attention with his impressive strike rate. Jitesh ended up with 234 runs in 10 innings at an average of 29.25 and an excellent strike rate of 163.64. In fact, he has carried on the same form in 2023 as well.
So far, he has scored 190 runs in nine innings at 21.11 with a brilliant strike rate of 162.39 with 14 sixes. He has changed the situation with his sixes in a couple of games. Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri praised the youngster and said that he is a prospect for the future for Team India.
Jitesh is yet to make his debut for India at the highest level, but he was added to the Indian squad for the Sri Lanka series. Shastri feels that his chance will come very soon. According to the Hindustan Times, in a discussion on Cricbuzz, Shastri said,
“He’s the find of the IPL. Rishabh Pant is unfortunately not available but this guy can enter the Indian team anytime. Lower down the order, he’s a todu (fantastic) player. His keeping is great, and he is fearless. You’re talking about Shikhar, he missed 2-3 games with injury, but his intent is amazing. He scored 20-25, but the intent with which he plays is amazing.”
Earlier, former English star Kevin Pietersen also praised Jitesh and said that India already had the replacement for injured Pant in Jitesh. The 29-year-old will be seen in action on Wednesday when the Punjab Kings take on the Mumbai Indians in Mohali.