IPL 2022: Jitesh Sharma Says "Liam Livingstone And Jonny Bairstow Have Indeed Taught Me A Lot"

Jitesh Sharma, one of the IPL 2022’s surprises, credits his wide range of strokes to his habit of learning a new shot “every year,” and he recently stated that as a player, he learns a lot from Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow.

With his adventurous Strokeplay for Punjab Kings, the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, who has been playing limited-overs cricket for Vidarbha since 2014, has attracted interest.

After making his IPL debut, he has cemented himself in the playing eleven, and Punjab has relied largely on him and Liam Livingstone to finish games.

Jitesh has 162 runs scored at a strike rate of 167 in seven innings, including three 30-plus runs.

The great Virender Sehwag backed his participation in the Indian side for the T20 World Cup as a backup keeper-batsman after his 18-ball 38 in the last game against Rajasthan Royals.

“I’m grateful that Sehwag sir has said this about me,” the soft-spoken batsman told PTI on Tuesday. “But I can only do what is in my control, and selection is certainly not.”

‘Livingstone talks to me about how to bat on different surfaces’: Jitesh Sharma

He also believes that in today’s game, talent and power go hand in hand.

“Every power hitter is a technical batter.” Cricket is a sport that combines skill and force. It can only be good if you can add power to a sound technical game.”

He is learning a lot about power batting from Livingstone in his franchise, and he is picking Jonny Bairstow’s brain on wicketkeeping. He also had the opportunity to chat with MS Dhoni, his role model. “When Ambati Rayudu was a professional player with Vidarbha, I learned a lot from him.”

“At Punjab, Livingstone instructs me on how to bat on various surfaces, as well as who to attack and when.” Another thing I’ve picked up from him is that he is incredibly relaxed while batting.

“With Jonny, because he knows how to keep in any situation, the focus is on glove technique and leg movement.”

PBKS has played 11 games so far, winning only five of them and losing the other six. As a result, they are currently ranked eighth in the bottom half of the points table.

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