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| IPL 2023: Sunil Joshi backs Jitesh Sharma to receive India cap soon | | |  agencies
NEW DELHI, May 6: Former India chief selector and current Punjab Kings spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi rates Jitesh Sharma among the best wicketkeeper-batters in the country and feels it is only a matter of time before he plays for the national team. Jitesh was part of the India T20 squad in the previous two series but could not get a game. Considering the consistency he has shown in domestic cricket and IPL over the past 24 months, the Punjab Kings wicketkeeper-batter could get his opportunity in the next T20 series featuring India.
"Jitesh has been wonderful. It shows his quality and one of the reasons he was picked in Indian team in place of Sanju Samson. In the last 18 months how he has performed in domestic and IPL and that is the reason he is being ahead of some other wicketkeepers," Joshi, who was an India selector between 2020-2022, told PTI
Samson and Ishan Kishan are the other top contenders for the slot as Rishabh Pant continues to recover from injuries suffered in a car accident last December.
"Jitesh was already in the team in the last T20 series. His role is to go out and express himself with the bat and enjoy, and he has been doing that for Punjab Kings."
Jitesh has been striking at 165 plus in this IPL and is the second highest run getter of the team behind skipper Shikhar Dhawan.
Is he ready for all three formats?
"Lets stick to the T20 format, he has done well consistently in this format in the last two years of IPL. That performance was recognised by the wise people who picked him in the Indian team," said Joshi.
Punjab spinners Rahul Chahar, Harpeet Brar and Mohit Rathee are getting to pick Joshi's brains. Joshi, who played 15 Tests and 69 ODIs for India, also has a rich coaching experience having worked with multiple domestic and international teams including Bangladesh.
"Rahul has been bowling really well. At times when they don't bowl well they still get wickets and when they are bowling well they are not taking many wickets. So he has been bowling really well as per situations of the game. He may not be among the top wicket takers but he has the potential to grow immensely.
"Harpeet (Brar) too has been improving day by day and bowling really well. In the IPL, one over can be a game changer, it can be in the middle or back end. My communication with the spinners is to increase the dot ball percentage where you put pressure on the batters to play shots," he said. |
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