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Team India caput manager Gautam Gambhir with Jitesh Sharma
NEW DELHI: In his infinitesimal and 40-second Instagram Reel, erstwhile India cricketer Dinesh Karthik couldn’t fell his emotions portion talking astir India’s T20 World Cup squad. He labelled the omission of Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma arsenic “shocking.”Karthik said: “I didn’t spot that coming. It conscionable tells you there’s a small spot of clarity lacking. I consciousness truly atrocious for Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma.”
India World Cup squad: No Shubman Gill, Jitesh arsenic selectors callback Rinku, Ishan Kishan
Much volition beryllium made of Shubman Gill being dropped but it is arsenic bewildering to spot Jitesh Sharma not being named successful the 15-member squad. The wicketkeeper-batter has been a cleanable squad man. With Sanju Samson being the first-choice keeper, helium warmed the seat without making immoderate fuss during the Bangladesh bid past year.
In the adjacent series, helium was shown the door.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The Vidarbha batter fto his bat bash the talking successful the
Indian Premier League
. Jitesh scored lone 261 runs successful Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) title-winning season, but it wasn’t the runs that caught the selectors’ eyes — it was his onslaught complaint of 176.35 portion batting astatine Nos. 6 and 7.Those performances helped him get backmost into the India squad for the Asia Cup. T20I skipper
Suryakumar Yadav
, who Jitesh considers arsenic his cricketing idol, backed him during the continental tournament.
India's Jitesh Sharma dislodges the bails to disregard South Africa's Quinton de Kock during the 2nd T20 International cricket lucifer of a bid betwixt India and South Africa, astatine Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, successful New Chandigarh.
“Post past T20 World Cup, we spoke a batch connected however to spell astir it. We spoke astir not reasoning of milestones up and pursuing the journey. He’s been a wholly antithetic cricketer station that. The mode helium performed successful the IPL and home tournaments helium played, he’s done truly good and earned his spot again,” Suryakumar had said connected Jitesh’s comeback.Before the commencement of the Asia Cup, TimesofIndia.com learnt that with Shubman Gill backmost arsenic an opener, it would beryllium Jitesh Sharma who would play successful the mediate order.
But successful Dubai, the squad absorption backed Sanju to bat astatine No. 5 successful a revolving batting order.The Sanju experimentation successful the mediate bid fell flat. On the different hand, Jitesh kept moving hard successful the nets, waiting for his chance, but ended up warming the seat passim the Asia Cup.
India's Jitesh Sharma bats during the T20 cricket planetary betwixt India and Australia successful Hobart. AP/PTI(AP11_02_2025_000201A)
It was successful Australia wherever Jitesh yet got the accidental to play. In the 3 T20Is, helium batted doubly — scoring an unbeaten 22 disconnected 13 balls successful the 3rd T20I successful India’s five-wicket triumph portion batting astatine No.
7 and playing his relation to perfection.In the precocious concluded five-match bid against South Africa, helium went retired to bat thrice — scoring a five-ball 10 successful Cuttack, a quickfire 27 disconnected 17 balls successful New Chandigarh, and not getting to look a shot successful Ahmedabad. The 32-year-old was fantabulous with the gloves arsenic well.Jitesh didn’t bash thing wrong. He was a cleanable squad antheral and astir apt an casual scapegoat for the management, which is wherefore helium was dropped from India’s T20 World Cup squad.
Jitesh Sharma of India bats during crippled 3 of the T20 International bid betwixt Australia and India astatine Bellerive Oval connected November 02, 2025 successful Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
TimesofIndia.com has besides learnt the wicketkeeper-batter was successful the squad management's Playing XI plans for the World Cup but present finds himself retired of the squad. He was preparing for lucifer situations wherever helium would get lone 5-7 balls to look but the designated finisher has been conveniently dropped for a top-order enactment successful Ishan Kishan.A batch happened successful the past fewer hours arsenic not galore saw these changes coming. It doesn't substance whether it was owed to a operation telephone oregon thing else, the information is Jitesh has been near successful the lurch by his cricketing idol — Suryakumar Yadav.In his career, Jitesh has seen 1 excessively galore swings of misfortune. But this brutal omission, without immoderate explanation, says a batch astir the “lack of clarity” successful the Indian dressing room.
India's Jitesh Sharma astatine a warm-up league earlier the commencement of the Asia Cup 2025 lucifer betwixt India and UAE, successful Dubai. (Creimas/Asian Cricket Council via PTI Photo)(PTI09_10_2025_000373B)
Shubman Gill is 26, and with property connected his side, helium whitethorn get different spell astatine a World Cup — not to hide helium plays the different 2 formats arsenic well. But for players similar Jitesh, 32, who plays conscionable 1 format and are implicit squad men, this was a infinitesimal to cherish.
Instead, it has been destroyed, and it volition instrumentality him clip to travel retired of this heartbreak.
Poll
Do you hold with Dinesh Karthik's appraisal of Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma's omissions from the T20 World Cup squad?
Yes, it's shockingNo, it's justifiedUnsureNeed much information
Earlier this year, successful an exclusive interrogation with TimesofIndia.com, Jitesh had spoken astir his content successful fate. “Mere naseeb mein tha. Mujhe achhe log milte gaye. Mere bhaagya mein tha (It was successful my destiny. I kept gathering bully people. It was successful my fate),” helium had said astir his cricketing career.It seems Jitesh volition present person to judge his destiny and, hopefully, bounce backmost from this setback.
