Jitesh Sharma: A quiet team man left behind by Suryakumar Yadav, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar. cricket news

NEW DELHI: In his one minute and 40 seconds Instagram reel, former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik couldn’t hide his emotions while talking about the Indian T20 World Cup team. He termed the omission of Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma as “shocking”.Karthik said, “I didn’t see that coming. It just tells you that there’s a bit of lack of clarity. I feel really bad for Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma.”

There will be a lot of talk about Shubman Gill being dropped, but it is equally disconcerting to see Jitesh Sharma not being named in the 15-member squad. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been a perfect team man. With Sanju Samson as his first-choice keeper, he warmed the bench without fuss during the Bangladesh series last year. In the next series, he was shown the door.Go beyond borders with our YouTube channel. REGISTER NOW!The Vidarbha batter let his bat do the talking in the Indian Premier League. Jitesh scored just 261 runs in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) title-winning season, but it wasn’t the runs that caught the selectors’ attention – it was his strike rate of 176.35 while batting at numbers 6 and 7.These performances helped him return to the Indian team for the Asia Cup. T20I Captain Suryakumar Yadavwho Jitesh considers his cricketing idol, supported him during the continental tournament.

India’s Jitesh Sharma dislodges the bails to dismiss South Africa’s Quinton de Kock during the second T20 international cricket match of a series between India and South Africa at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh.

“After the last T20 World Cup, we talked a lot about how to proceed. We talked about not thinking about the steps ahead and following the journey. He has been a completely different cricketer. The way he has played in the IPL and the domestic tournaments he has played, he has done very well and earned his place again,” Suryakumar had said about Jitesh’s comeback.Before the start of the Asia Cup, TimesofIndia.com has learned that with Shubman Gill returning as an opener, it will be Jitesh Sharma who will play in the middle order. But in Dubai, the team management backed Sanju to slot in at number five in a rotating batting order.The Sanju experiment in the middle order failed. For his part, Jitesh continued to work hard in front of the nets, waiting for his chance, but ended up warming the bench throughout the Asia Cup.

India’s Jitesh Sharma bats during the T20 international cricket match between India and Australia in Hobart. AP/PTI(AP11_02_2025_000201A)

It was in Australia that Jitesh finally got the chance to play. In all three T20Is, he struck twice – scoring an unbeaten 22 from 13 balls in the third T20I in India’s five-wicket win while batting at no.1. 7 and playing his role to perfection.In the recently concluded five-match series against South Africa, he went to bat three times – scoring a five-ball 10 in Cuttack, a quickfire 27 from 17 balls in New Chandigarh and failing to face a ball in Ahmedabad. The 32-year-old was also excellent with the gloves.Jitesh did nothing wrong. He was a perfect team man and probably an easy scapegoat for the management, which is why he was left out of India’s T20 World Cup squad.

Jitesh Sharma of India bats during the third match of the T20 International series between Australia and India at Bellerive Oval on November 2, 2025 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

TimesofIndia.com has also learned that the keeper-batsman was in the plans of the Playing XI team management for the World Cup, but now finds himself out of the squad. He was preparing for match situations where he would only have 5-7 balls to face, but the designated finisher was conveniently dropped for a top option in Ishan Kishan.A lot has happened in the last few hours and few people saw these changes coming. It doesn’t matter whether it was due to a combination call or something else, the fact is that Jitesh was left out by his cricketing idol – Suryakumar Yadav.During his career, Jitesh has experienced too many misfortunes. But this abrupt omission, without any explanation, speaks volumes about the “lack of clarity” in the Indian dressing room.

Jitesh Sharma of India during a warm-up session before the start of the Asia Cup 2025 match between India and United Arab Emirates, in Dubai. (Creimas/Asian Cricket Council via PTI Photo)(PTI09_10_2025_000373B)

Shubman Gill is 26, and with age on his side, he might get another chance at a World Cup – not to mention he plays in the other two formats as well. But for players like 32-year-old Jitesh, who plays only one format and are true team men, it was a moment to cherish. Instead, he was destroyed and it will take time for him to come out of this heartbreak.

Earlier this year, in an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com, Jitesh had spoken about his belief in destiny. “Simple Naseeb was in me. My good people met me. my happiness was in me (It was in my destiny. I kept meeting good people. It was in my destiny),” he had said about his cricketing career.It looks like Jitesh will now have to accept his fate and hopefully recover from this failure.