Bengaluru: Cricket wasn’t the dream. Not even a fleeting thought. For Jitesh Sharma, the plan was set — be a part of the NDA, serve within the Air Power, put on a unique sort of uniform. However destiny, because it typically does in sport, had different concepts.
“I used to be in tenth customary. I wished to go for NDA. In the future, a buddy mentioned, ‘Let’s do a cricket trial. We’ll get 4 % additional marks,’” Jitesh recollects with a smile. At that second, cricket was only a means to an instructional finish. However when he observed ‘wicketkeeper’ had the fewest names on the registration record, Jitesh — together with two mates — casually selected it. And unknowingly, selected a future.
At this time, Jitesh Sharma stands tall not simply as a reliable wicketkeeper-batsman, however as a beacon of perception for his hometown of Amravati. “I believe I’m the primary boy who performed for India from Amravati,” he says. “So after I return, I give that very same perception to others — if I can do it, anybody can.”
His rise by means of the ranks introduced him to Royal Challengers Bangalore, a franchise with one of the vital passionate fanbases within the nation. “Once I went to play within the Syed Mushtaq Ali event, folks had been shouting for RCB. That’s after I realized it’s not a small factor that I’ve joined RCB,” he says, shocked by the ocean of followers queuing up for his autograph.
However it’s the position of the finisher the place Jitesh has really discovered his area of interest — even when it got here at the price of private milestones. “Earlier, I used to be an opener. I used to attain fifties and centuries. Now as a finisher, I haven’t scored a fifty. However 10 balls, 30 runs. 20 balls, 40 runs — that’s develop into our 50. And I’m comfortable, if the group wins.”
That humility and team-first angle haven’t gone unnoticed. Particularly not by Dinesh Karthik, who has been mentoring Jitesh with admiration. “He’s all the time hungry to study. He calls me ‘Anna.’ He tries every thing I recommend. If it really works, nice. If not, he comes again truthfully and says, ‘Inform me one thing else.’ If I work with him for a 12 months or two, I really feel like I can contact the boundaries with him,” Karthik says.
As a wicketkeeper, Jitesh finds a unique thrill in studying the sport from behind the stumps. “The largest benefit of conserving is that you just don’t run, so your power is saved — however your thoughts will get drained. You get to learn the pitch, the bowlers, the batters. I keep concerned for 240 balls. That’s the enjoyable of cricket for me.”
In each sense, Jitesh Sharma is redefining what it means to rise — with no blueprint, no plan, simply uncooked starvation, resilience, and the steering of a mentor who noticed the spark. From NDA desires to donning the Indian jersey, his journey is a narrative of how probability, selection, and just a little perception can change every thing.
