Sanju Samson ruled out of T20I series vs Sri Lanka; Jitesh Sharma receives maiden call up
Having spent a significant amount of time on the bench or either being sidelined in 2022. Sanju Samson hoped for a better 2023, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The Kerala batter, who was part of India’s playing XI against Sri Lanka in the first T20I in Mumbai, failed to fire with the bat and also injured his knee while fielding.
Consequently, BCCI named Jitesh Sharma in India’s T20I squad. It was a surprising call by BCCI as Jitesh was never speculated to be in the mix. But with Rishabh Pant’s accident and KL Rahul’s unavailability, the Punjab Kings wicketkeeper-batter will join the Indian dressing room.
“Samson hurt his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during the first T20I,” a BCCI release stated.
“He was taken for scans and a specialist opinion this afternoon in Mumbai by the BCCI Medical Team and has been advised rest and rehabilitation.”
Who is Jitesh Sharma? India’s surprise pick as Sanju Samson replacement for Sri Lanka T20Is
Jitesh Sharma plays for Punjab Kings and he made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in the previous edition against Chennai Super Kings, during which he scored a 17-ball 26.
The wicketkeeper-batter has so far made 12 appearances for PBKS. Further, he has accumulated 234 runs from 10 innings, with a 34-ball 44 against Delhi Capitals being his highest score.
In the absence of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, India were left with only wicketkeeper-batter – Ishan Kishan – in their current T20I squad. Jitesh can not only don the gloves if needed but is a gun batter at no.5 and 6.
The 29-year-old has played the role of a finisher quite well for PBKS and also for Vidarbha. Although he did not set the stage alight in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, he is known to be someone who can hit big from ball one.
Moreover, this is a maiden call-up for Jitesh, who is expected to link-up with the squad early on Thursday morning in Pune.
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