'I have been a huge fan of Sourav Ganguly' - Jitesh Sharma on wearing jersey number 99

Jitesh Sharma, a wicketkeeper-batter of Vidarbha and Punjab Kings, revealed the reason behind wearing number 99 on his jersey. He said that, just like his cricketing idol Sourav Ganguly, he picked the number 99. He said he liked the former India captain for his fighting spirit and feels that his nature is quite the same as his idol. 

Sharma, although did not watch much of Ganguly during his playing days, heard a lot from his father about the former Indian left-hand batter and his influence on the Indian cricket team and his fighting spirit outside India. And quite like Ganguly, the Vidarbha batter does not like to be dominated by others and always plays for the team and their victory.

“Since childhood, I have been a huge fan of Sourav Ganguly. Even though I did not see him play a lot, my father used to talk a lot about him,” said Sharma in a show ‘Say Yash to Sports’ with Dr. Yash Kashikar. “He used to say that Dada (Ganguly) is a Tiger. He is someone who changed Indian cricket and their attitude.”

Ganguly was the first one who fought for the team: Jitesh Sharma

Ganguly is one of the icons and most successful captains of Indian cricket. He is known for changing the face of India after becoming the captain in 2000, leading India to some historic titles such as the shared 2002 ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka and the 2002 Natwest Series in England.

“Also, I liked his fighting spirit. Whenever everyone used to be quiet, and India couldn’t dominate outside, he was the first one who fought for the team. I feel that my nature is quite same. Whenever someone tries to dominate me, I don’t like it,” added the Punjab Kings batter. “I always play for my team and want them to win. So because of him, I took the jersey number 99.”

Sharma, after signing for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League in 2022, went on to play 12 matches in the season, scoring 234 runs at an impressive strike rate of 163.64. He was also instrumental behind the stumps as he took nine catches and completed two stumpings.