Jitesh Sharma, who played his first IPL season for Punjab Kings last year, has spoken up about the great atmosphere in the franchise’s dressing room and how the organisation supports the players to get the best out of them. During the 2022 season, the 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter shared a dressing room alongside Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Jonny Bairstow, and Liam Livingstone.
Last year, the Vidarbha batsman made an impact as a finisher, scoring 234 runs with an amazing strike rate of 163.64. He also said that his teammates and coaches were supportive of him throughout the season, which helped him play better.
“Whatever I’ve learned so far about the Punjab Kings is that the guys here are firm believers in their own skills and expertise. When a newbie joins the team, he is always unsure if he will be able to live up to the expectations. But after seeing Shikhar Bhai, Mayank, Bairstow, Bhanuka, Livingstone, and others, I understood they had amazing self-beliefs. That really helped me express myself and develop some self-belief “He said.
Jitesh’s batting talent also pleased England’s Jonny Bairstow, who believes he is ready to represent India in T20Is. “During IPL 2022, I had several contacts, but one with Jonny Bairstow would always stand out. He once approached me and informed me that I was capable of representing my nation at the top level in the T20 format. He urged me to concentrate on my performances and not to be concerned about selection “Jitesh said.
Jitesh spoke on his job as a finisher, saying that it requires mental toughness in a player and that he wanted to take the game deep. “As a finisher, you must be realistic and understand that you will be in circumstances where you will win some games but lose others. You can’t become a hero in every game; all you can do is strive to bring every game as near to your team’s triumph as possible. So I’ve always believed in going all the way and staying to the end to assist my team cross the finish line “He said.
