India wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has reacted after being left out of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, which begins on February 7.
Speaking to Crictracker, the 31-year-old said he only found out about his omission when the squad was officially announced. Jitesh explained that he later understood the reasons given by the selectors during the press conference.
“I wasn’t aware of my omission until the squad was announced. After that, I agreed with the explanation given by the selectors in the press conference; it was a valid reason. Later, I had discussions with the coaches and selectors, and I felt their reasoning was fair. I completely understood what they wanted to explain to me, and I agreed with it,” Jitesh Sharma said.
The exclusion was hard for Jitesh, as he had worked a lot to play in the T20 World Cup. He said the moment was emotionally difficult and it took him some time to accept it. Talking to former India wicketkeeper and RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik helped him to stay positive.
“It was heartbreaking, as I had worked very hard to play in the ICC T20 World Cup. But that’s destiny, I can’t deny it. At that moment, I was numb and couldn’t process anything. Spending time with my family and talking to Dinesh Karthik helped me move forward,” he added.
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Jitesh had been a regular part of India’s T20I setup before the squad announcement. Although he was part of the Asia Cup 2025 squad, he did not play a single match. He returned to the Playing XI during the Australia series in November 2025, where he played three T20Is. He then featured in all four matches of the South Africa T20I series, although one game was abandoned. Batting mainly as a finisher, he scored 62 runs across five innings, often facing very few deliveries.
The selection committee decided to go with Sanju Samson as the first choice wicketkeeper, with the plan for him to bat at the top of the order. Ishan Kishan was also included in the squad following his strong performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. As a result, Jitesh Sharma missed out on selection. Along with him, vice captain Shubman Gill was also not picked for the tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Axar Patel (Vice-Captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh.
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