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Ex-India chief selector and current Punjab Kings bowling coach Sunil Joshi is of the opinion that PBKS’ Jitesh Sharma is one of the best wicketkeeper-batters in India and feels that it is only a matter of time before he plays for India. Praising Jitesh, Joshi backed the PBKS wicketkeeper-batsman to play for India over other wicketkeeper-batters.
Jitesh was a part of India’s T20 squad for the last two series but did not get any games to play. However, he is performing consistently in domestic cricket as well as the Indian Premier League 2023 making him a strong contender for the next T20 series featuring India.
Joshi stated that Jitesh is in impressive form, which is clear from the fact that he was picked for India ahead of Sanju Samson. While Samson and Ishan Kishan are also contenders for the wicket keeping-batsman slot, Pant’s recovery will open up an opportunity for Jitesh. He said, "Jitesh has been wonderful. It shows his quality and is one of the reasons he was picked in the 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 ahead of some other wicketkeeper."
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Speaking of the ongoing Indian Premier League, Jitesh has been striking at 165-plus and is the second-highest run-scorer with 239 runs, only behind the Punjab Kings skipper, Shikhar Dhawan with 292 runs. Notably, Punjab Kings will clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 8, Monday, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.