Jitesh Sharma-The Risk-Taker Aiming for High-Impact Runs as He Prepares for His IPL Journey

In the game of T20 cricket, players have always been put under the tight rope of risk and reward. The 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma is the epitome of this approach through his fearless and explosive style of play that has catapulted him into the spotlight and, at times, put him on the periphery of selection. But Sharma sticks to his high-risk, high-reward approach to cricketing.

A roller-coaster journey with India and the IPL.

Jitesh Sharma's career of late has been in the lines of a roller-coaster ride for India. This new sensation in Indian cricketing history got his T20I debut in October 2023 for Asian Games, in which he made brief cameo appearances for India. He soon got selected in the home series against Australia and Afghanistan. He showed flashes of brilliance though, but such was his journey with the Indian team that lasted only till Sharma was left out of the World Cup squad.

Such skill with the bat at the lower order and going at a frenetic pace lifted him to a much higher profile with the selectors than the two seasons of the IPL in 2022 and 2023 could ever do. But after his underwhelming show in the IPL 2024, he could score only 187 runs in 12 innings for a strike rate of 131.69, and doubts about consistency began to hover.

There is no promise of consistency in T20 cricket, especially when batting down the order. It all depends on risk-taking and winning games," Sharma admits while emphasizing the fact that it's more about winning games than showing consistency. In the case of a finisher like him, the focus always remains on a big impact at the right moments rather than going for a consistent flow of runs.

Dealing with the Toughies and Rivals

Despite attaining the seam of 147.05 in his T20 internationals, Sharma's journey in India hasn't been smooth sailing. The strong fight among the team with players such as Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, and Abhishek Sharma all being hungry to get a chance in the Indian team doesn't discourage him. Sharma feels no frustration with the intense competition but instead gets motivated to improve continually.

"Cricket in India is tough. There's always pressure, but I focus on improving and growing," Sharma reflects, acknowledging the fierce competition for places in the national team.

A Fresh Start with Royal Challengers Bangalore

One of the biggest incidents in Jitesh Sharma's career was when he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL 2024 auction for a whopping Rs. 11 crore. This has been his price tag because RCB believed in the powerful batting skills of Sharma. It has been a completely unexpected opportunity that motivated Sharma.

"I wasn't expecting such a huge sum, but RCB showed a lot of belief in me. It's not about pressure; it's about the challenge to perform. I am grateful for this chance and confident that I can rise to the bill," Sharma claims. The backing financially and his trust from the team of RCB is such a morale-boosting support for him as he looks forward eagerly to repaying that trust for them on field.

As strong as a possible batting talent RCB boasts is Dinesh Karthik, who supported Sharma by underlining the strength of the finisher: to hit the ball really explosively especially in conditions favouring spin bowling. He, in turn, has guided the young boy for developing the finer skills in cricket to don the mantle of finishing the match with the team. He welcomes this opportunity to be mentored by Karthik, whom he finds as his idol and a better player to help him do similar things as what Karthik did when Karthik was a cricketer playing for his state.

Home advantage for RCB

Another point that will definitely work in his favor is that the boundaries at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium are small, that is the home ground of RCB. Sharma is one of the admirers for batting here, which to him offers a perfect battlefield to an attacker like himself to send every hit outside the ropes. The smallish boundaries come his way, which for his game-which purely revolves around timing along with control, could turn into a great testimonial for itself.

Sharma is rather driven by how much he scores to win his matches for his team rather than winning for self-glorification. "It is not about scoring how many runs, it's about helping your team win," he says flatly, laying emphasis on not just the glory of personal goals but the teams as well before going ahead: "I rather get a duck and the team wins than half-century in the losing cause".

As Jitesh Sharma sets up for the 2025 IPL season, he is highly optimistic but very much grounded at the same time. When RCB rests its faith in him and looks out to make a difference, he understands the challenges his way but would never forget his focal point: work hard, commitment, and performance when it counts. Whether it's a season-opener that could infuse some life into his career or not, Sharma believes that everything happens for a greater good.

"God's plan, as Rinku always says," Sharma concludes, believing that happening of life is controlled, what is at stake is what to be focused.

Jitesh Sharma is making it big in the unpredictability of the T20 format, and here's to him making some huge waves again for his side by being that big risk-taker in the approaching IPL season.