India wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma has opened up his heart and shared a very emotional message after not being able to be a part of the title-winning T20 World Cup 2026 side. Notably, the 32-year-old was in the fray in the buildup to the ICC event and even featured in the Asia Cup 2025 and the Proteas series last December.
However, ahead of the IND vs NZ series, the management brought back Ishan Kishan which led to the exclusion of Jitesh Sharma. Nevertheless, the decision allowed Jitesh to spend time with his father, who passed away in February, which in retrospect outweighs the decision of the snub.
Echoing on the same lines, an emotional Jitesh said while speaking to PTI,
“I’m also a human, so I did feel sad initially. But my family and friends supported me a lot and that phase passed. My father fell ill and passed away on February 1, and I was with him for seven days. Later I realised my dad needed me more than the World Cup. I have no regrets and I’m grateful to God that I could be with him and take care of him in his final days. I watched the World Cup from home, which is a very different and more stressful feeling than playing. I’m really happy for the boys—they fulfilled the vision of the coach, captain and the team since the Asia Cup.”
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After the recent snub, Jitesh, who has featured in 16 T20Is for India, scoring 162 runs at a strike rate of 151.40 will now shift his focus to the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). He played a key role in the maiden title win of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) last season and the dynamic right-hander will be hoping to do an encore in a bid to stake his claim for a return to the national side.
In IPL 2025, Jitesh gave a testament to his big-hitting abilities in the finisher’s role, smacking 261 runs in 11 innings at an impressive average of 37.28 and a fiery strike rate of 176.35 including a match-winning fifty in their final league match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), which helped RCB secure the Qualifier 1 spot.
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