Punjab Kings wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma revealed the details of his conversation with the South African speedster Kagiso Rabada during the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League. Rabada was confident that he would meet Sharma in the international matches during the upcoming years.
Sharma had been impressive in domestic cricket over the last few seasons, but he made his IPL debut in 2022 for the Punjab Kings. Although PBKS could not qualify for the playoffs, Sharma’s performance impressed the fans. He fearlessly attacked the opposition bowlers and scored runs for his team at a quick rate.
In an appearance on the show named ‘Say Yash To Sports’, Jitesh Sharma said:
“Kagiso Rabada called me after the last game and asked. Do you think you can play for India? I replied, KG I don’t think too much about the future. I just try to focus on one match at a time. To which he said that I think, in a few years. I am going to bowl against you in international cricket. Just don’t smash me.”
Jitesh Sharma may have to wait for a while before playing for the Indian cricket team
There are too many wicket-keeper batters competing for a place in the Indian T20I squad right now. Dinesh Karthik recently made his return to the team, while Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson are waiting in the line. Jitesh Sharma will have to play extraordinary cricket in the next few months to join the race to play for India.
Sharma is a finisher, and since that role is always in demand, he may get an edge over the other wicket-keeper batters in the line. It will be interesting to see if Jitesh gets a call-up to the national team in the near future. The Punjab Kings are likely to retain him for the next season after his solid showing in IPL 2022.
