Jitesh Sharma added to India’s squad after Sanju Samson is ruled out of T20I series against Sri Lanka

Vidarbha wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has been added to Team India’s squad for the ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka after Sanju Samson was ruled out of the remaining two games due to a knee injury.

Samson hurt his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during the first T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3.

An official statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the development. The cricket board’s release stated:

“He (Samson) was taken for scans and a specialist opinion this afternoon in Mumbai by the BCCI Medical Team and has been advised rest and rehabilitation. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Jitesh Sharma as replacement for Sanju Samson.”

Samson was dismissed for five in the opening T20I of the series against Sri Lanka, following a failed attempt to take on Dhananjaya de Silva. He also dropped a catch of Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka in the first over.

Team India went on to win the game by a slender margin of two runs to take a 1-0 in the three-match series.

The second T20I will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on January 5, followed by the final match in Rajkot on January 7.

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Who is Jitesh Sharma?

A 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Vidarbha, Jitesh made his T20 debut in 2014. A hard-hitting batter, in 76 matches in the format, the right-hander has 1787 runs at an impressive strike rate of 147.93, with one hundred and nine fifties.

He made a big impact for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) with his boundary-hitting skills in IPL 2022, often chipping in with quick-fire cameos. In 12 matches, Jitesh hammered 234 runs at a strike rate of 163.64. The batter struck 22 fours and 12 sixes during the edition.

Jitesh made his first-class debut in 2015. In 16 matches, he has scored 553 runs at an average of 24.04, with three half-centuries.

He has also played 47 List A games in which he has notched up 1350 runs at an average of 32.14. The keeper-batter has registered two hundreds and seven fifties in his List A career.