Indian Premier League

Since he made his Tata IPL debut against the Chennai Super Kings earlier in the tournament, Jitesh Sharma has been the find of the season for the Punjab Kings. Every time he walks in to bat, he brings with him hope for an exciting cameo.

So far, the man from Vidarbha has played nine matches and scored 162 runs at an average of 32.40 and a healthy strike rate of 167.01. As a wicket-keeper too, he has done well, taking seven catches and showing a cool head behind the stumps.

Among many who are now a part of the Jitesh Sharma fan club is former Indian explosive batter Virender Sehwag. So much so that the Indian legend is backing for Sharma to be a part of India’s T20 World Cup side that will fly to Australia in October this year.

“No doubt, brilliant batting. He has impressed. Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, and Wriddhiman Saha are all wicketkeeper-batters, but of all, Jitesh Sharma has impressed me the most. He has a fearless style of batting,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

He further added, “He just expresses himself. He knows his zones, he knows the shots he has to play. The six he hit Yuzvendra Chahal. It reminded me of VVS Laxman when he hit Shane Warne for a six through midwicket. It was a wonderful batting performance,” he said, referring to his 38* (18) in the most recent game.

“He has impressed me a lot. If it was in my hands, I would take him as a backup wicketkeeper-batter to Australia,” Sehwag declared, reinforcing how highly he thought of the talented Punjab Kings batter.

Irfan Pathan also expressed his admiration for the explosive batter

And so did the fans