Jitesh Sharma credits his comeback as a T20 batter to Dinesh Karthik, the mentor at Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Karthik believes Jitesh can become a versatile player. Last IPL season wasn’t great for Jitesh with Punjab Kings; he only scored 187 runs in 14 matches, averaging 17 with a strike-rate of 131. But with RCB, he’s off to a better start, racking up 85 runs in four matches, striking at 185, which shows he’s finding his rhythm again.
It’s been a solid journey so far because I really worked hard with him during the off-season. The shots I’m playing now are like the ones he played. He’s trying to mold me into a new player, Jitesh said before facing Delhi Capitals. He mentioned that Karthik has faith in his batting skills. He believes I can play all over the field. I’m really enjoying this new role. Trying out these shots has been fun, and I feel supported. We’re still working on it, he added.
Karthik emphasized that every cricketer goes through lean patches, and it’s nothing to stress about. Jitesh reflected, Last season was more of a mental issue for me. I wasn’t fully in the game; I was too focused on the future. When I talked to Dinesh bhai, he reminded me it’s just a human error, nothing complicated.
After losing his spot in the Indian T20I team following the Afghanistan series in January 2024, Jitesh had some worries. Karthik pointed out areas where he could improve. He noticed my approach to dominating wasn’t quite right. I’m more focused on winning matches rather than just scoring runs. He helped me see that some shots were missing in my game, he said.
The results show he’s improving, scoring 33 runs off 21 balls against Gujarat Titans and 40 runs off 19 balls against Mumbai Indians. Looking ahead to their match with Delhi, Jitesh believes RCB has the advantage. We’ve played and won some tough away games, so we feel confident. Our batting lineup is solid; everyone contributes. But I think DC is leaning on just a few key players, which should make for a good match-up, he said.
Jitesh pointed out that RCB’s success this season comes from playing smart rather than just going all out. We’re not just charging at every bowler. We know each other’s strengths, and management has clear roles for us. Like, I’ll focus on certain bowlers while my teammates handle others. We’re just executing our game plan, he explained.
He also faced Jasprit Bumrah, who was back in action after a break, and was impressed. It felt like he hadn’t missed a beat. Bumrah was spot-on and looking fit, doing all the right things. He’s back at the top of his game, he said.
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