"Didn't get chance"- Jitesh Sharma leaks BCCI selectors' private message; action incoming?

Jitesh Sharma is one of the brightest talents in Indian cricket, but still, the wicketkeeper-batter has to wait for his chance to cement his place in the national side, as KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, and Rishabh Pant are the preferred players across the formats presently.

However, on the back of his strong IPL 2024 season with Punjab Kings and domestic season, Jitesh Sharma managed to earn his maiden call-up to the India National Cricket Team for the T20I series against Afghanistan at home. He made his India debut in the second T20I against Afghanistan in Indore.

Jitesh Sharma recalls his maiden India call-up as he shares his incredible ride

However, Jitesh was dismissed for a duck, but the road to his selection was memorable for the cricketer. It was a whirlwind moment that changed everything overnight.

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The right-handed batter revealed that he got a sudden call and was asked to step in for an injured Sanju Samson. He didn’t even get the time to celebrate the most memorable moment of his life.

Jitesh Sharma said in a video posted by his IPL side, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, “I came in as a replacement for a player on the Indian team because Sanju Samson had a knee injury. An Indian selector called and said, ‘We are looking forward to having you on the Indian team. Be ready; by evening, you will get a call about when you have to leave.”

Everything was going fast, as the 31-year-old arrived in camp and was straight into training the very next day. Jitesh revealed that his hands and legs turned cold standing in the same dressing room as stars like Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, and then head coach Rahul Dravid.

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Jitesh Sharma reveals his hands and legs became cold before his India debut

He added, “I didn't get a chance to soak in the entire selection process because everything happened very quickly. Just as I reached the next day, I had to go for practice. I was definitely nervous; my hands and legs became cold. Because of wearing that Indian jersey and then Surya bhai was there, Hardik bhai was also there. Rahul [Dravid] sir was the coach at that time.”

Notably, the wicketkeeper-batter has played nine T20 matches for India so far, scoring 100 runs, with his highest score being 35. Now, Jitesh is focusing on delivering strong performances for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who signed him for a whopping ₹11 crore, in the ongoing IPL 2025 for an India comeback.

RCB is not a small team, but is something else: Jitesh Sharma

The Indian batter said that the support and love he has been receiving from fans and the franchise left him emotional and grateful. He said that this experience has been bigger than he ever imagined, and he’s determined to repay that faith shown by the RCB with strong performances in the IPL 2025.

Jitesh Sharma signed off by saying, “When I went to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, people were screaming 'Jitesh-Jitesh' and 'RCB-RCB.' That's when I realized that I hadn't gone to a small team. It's not a trivial matter that I've come to RCB.

It was a different feeling because 100-150 people were waiting for my autograph. I wasn't expecting anything like this. I had already played for India before and had done it all, but even then, 2 people didn't come. That's when I realized that this franchise is something else.”

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