Sanju Samson was ruled out of the last T20I games vs Sri Lanka and BCCI named Jitesh Sharma as his replacement.
"Team India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson has been ruled out of the remainder of the 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Samson hurt his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during the 1st T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Jitesh Sharma as replacement for Sanju Samson," said BCCI in a statement.
Here's everything you should know about Jitesh Sharma.
The Beginning
29-year-old Jitesh Sharma was born on October 22, 1993 in Amrawati, Maharashtra and is known for his all-out attacking approach at the top of the order. Before playing for Punjab Kings, Sharma was also part of Mumbai Indians who bagged him in the IPL 2016 auction on the back of his strong showing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2015-16.
Jitesh plays for Vidarbha in the domestic circuit and made his Ranji debut vs Odhisa in 2015.
The Numbers
Jitesh has played 176 T20 games and has accumulated 1787 runs at a strike rate of almost 148. He averages 30.28 with the highest score of 106 and nine 50s and a solitary 100 against his name. As far as his first-class record is concerned, Sharma has played 23 innings and has made 553 runs at an average of 24.04 with three fifties against his name.
IPL 2022
In last year's IPL, Sharma played 12 innings and smashed 234 runs at a strike rate of 163.64 with the highest score of 44.
India’s updated squad for Sri Lanka T20Is
Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar
Also Read: IND vs SL, 2nd T20I | Shubman Gill, batting approach in focus as Men in Blue look to seal series