NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Jitesh Sharma credited former Australian legend Adam Gilchrist for his inclination towards wicketkeeping.
In a video posted by IPL on their social media platform, the 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter explained the importance of a strong technique with the gloves, including proper squatting and foot positioning.
Jitesh also admitted that he focuses on keeping his shoulder and knee aligned like a box, ensuring that his body is always in a defensive position.
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“I think this love for wicketkeeping is because of Adam Gilchrist. The way he used to keep the ball so easily, the way he used to catch the ball, I was very inspired by that. In wicket keeping, there are some basics like Squat position and ball of the feet. These are some thumb rules,” Jitesh Sharma said, as quoted by ANI.
“But for me, I always try that my shoulder and my knee should be like a box. Whenever I move, I should move like a box. If my head is near the ball, automatically my body will be behind it. So, my second line of defence will be active. I should be close to it. Like I am throwing the ball far away. So, I should go like this and catch the ball rather than like this.”
Initially bought by the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2016 auction, Jitesh was then retained in 2017.
However, he didn’t get a chance to play in a single match.
He was once again purchased in the IPL 2022 by Punjab Kings, where he made his name as a destructive finisher.
Jitesh scored 234 runs at a strike rate of 163.64 in IPL 2022 and continued with a remarkable season in 2023, scoring 309 runs at a strike rate of 156.06.
As a lower middle-order batter, his small match-winning performances during IPL earned him his T20I debut against Nepal in October at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Ahead of IPL 2025, RCB bought him for Rs 11 crore.
In four matches so far, he has aggregated 85 runs with an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 184.
RCB will take on Delhi Capitals in the 24th match of the IPL 2025 on Thursday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
