"You'll get a call about your departure details" - Jitesh Sharma reveals during IPL 2025 stunning story of maiden India call-up 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Jitesh Sharma recently shared the incredible story behind his maiden call-up to the Indian team. While the 31-year-old represented India at the 2023 Asian Games, his first major call-up came later that year during the home T20I series against Australia.

In a video shared on RCB’s official YouTube channel ‘Royal Challengers Bengaluru,’ on Wednesday, April 16, Jitesh said he was called up as an injury replacement for Sanju Samson. The wicketkeeper-batter spoke about receiving the call at the last moment, with everything unfolding so quickly that he didn’t have time to process it. Jitesh said:

“I came in as a replacement in the Indian team when Sanju bhai had a knee injury. While I was running on the ground, I got a call from XYZ called me and said, “Hey, I’m an Indian selector. We’re looking forward to you joining the Indian team, so be ready. By evening, you’ll get a call about your departure details.” I was like, “Okay.” But I didn’t even get a chance to process it.” (3:35)

Jitesh Sharma also mentioned how nervous he felt wearing the Indian jersey, especially with star players like Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya around him, and with Rahul Dravid serving as the head coach. He added:

“Things moved so fast that the next day I had to go for practice. I think I was a little nervous; my hands and feet were shaking. I was a bit cold because I was wearing that Indian jersey while watching Surya Bhai and Hardik Bhai over there, and Rahul was the coach at that time. It's a feeling you can't really express.”

The 31-year-old has appeared in nine T20I matches for India, scoring 100 runs across seven innings.

---

A look at Jitesh Sharma's IPL 2025 campaign for RCB

Jitesh Sharma was bought by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 11 crore during the 2025 mega auction. He has played in six matches in the ongoing 2025 season, scoring 88 runs across four innings.

Meanwhile, RCB are placed third on the points table with eight points from six matches. They will next take the field against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, April 18.