'God has a bigger plan for me' - Jitesh Sharma reflects on non-selection for T20I series against West Indies

The All India selection committee headed by the new Chairman of Selectors, Ajit Agarkar, announced the squad for the three-match T20I series against West Indies starting August 03. Several youngsters were awarded a place for their brilliant run in the Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL). However, one such player who failed to find a spot was Jitesh Sharma.

The 29-year-old wicketkeeper batter was expecting a call-up with regular wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant out injured. However, the selectors showed faith in Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan ahead of him. Commenting on his missed chance, Sharma recently expressed his disappointment and said that maybe the almighty has bigger plans for him.

"God has a bigger plan for me," Jitesh was quoted as saying by Cricket.com.

The 29-year-old scored 309 runs for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2023 in 14 matches at an average of 23.77 and a strike rate of 156.06. Notably, Jitesh was a part of the India squad for the home series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. He further shared his experience of being around head coach Rahul Dravid and the advice he got from him.

"They were quite welcoming. Rahul (Dravid) sir told me that you are doing very well and these are the kind of players that we are looking for. When I told him that I want to score big runs, he told me that at the position you play, runs don't matter, impact matters. The more you contribute towards the win, that will be important for the team,” Sharma added.

Jitesh and his impressive IPL 2023

The Maharashtra-born cricketer recorded the highest score of his IPL career against Mumbai Indians during match 46 in Mohali as he played a breathtaking knock of 49* off 27 balls smashing five fours and two sixes in his innings. He also inflicted five dismissals throughout the season. 

He further has 2096 runs in his T20 career from 90 matches at an average of 29.11 and a strike rate of 149.07. Sharma has also smacked one hundred and nine fifties in the shortest format.