After a rather long wait, wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma finally play his first international game for India outside the Asian Games, in the fourth T20I against Australia in Raipur on Friday, December 1.
After consistent performances for Vidarbha, Jitesh set the IPL stage ablaze in 2022. He also backed it up with an impressive campaign earlier this year. His performances were recognized, as he made his debut for India in the men's cricket event in the Asian Games.
Fans on X are thrilled to see Sharma get a chance to prove his worth in the ongoing series. Some even believe he could be a crucial part of India's T20 World Cup plans. One tweeted:
"Finally. Finally!! JITESH SHARMA"
Here are some of the top reactions:
Jitesh Sharma one of many changes made by India
India have made four changes to their side, with Jitesh being the wicketkeeper in place of Ishan Kishan. Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer also makes his way into the team in place of Tilak Varma.
Prasidh Krishna had a forgettable outing in the previous T20I and has been taken out of the firing line. Deepak Chahar gets a game in his place, so this is a fabulous chance for the pacer to show what he can do with both bat and ball. Mukesh Kumar, who missed the last game, has replaced Arshdeep Singh.
It's a massive game for the likes of Jitesh and Iyer, as they aren't arguably a part of the core of India's T20I plans and will need to prove their mettle.
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
Australia XI: Josh Philippe, Travis Head, Ben McDermott, Aaron Hardie, Tim David, Matthew Short, Matthew Wade (c & wk), Ben Dwarshuis, Chris Green, Jason Behrendorff, Tanveer Sangha
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