"I realized that they have incredible self-belief"- Jitesh Sharma on the superstars in Punjab Kings squad
Jitesh Sharma was already a stalwart for Vidarbha when he was picked in the IPL 2022 auction by the Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, he was understandably a bit nervous given that he hadn't played in the IPL before.
The Vidarbha batter also joined a dressing room that had stars like Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone. It would have naturally been a bit tough to carve out his own identity amidst so many big names.
However, in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Jitesh Sharma spoke about how the positivity in the PBKS camp and backing from his teammates and coaches helped him get the most out of himself. He said:
"Whatever I have learnt being in Punjab Kings so far is that the players here are strong believers in the talent and skill that they possess. Whenever there's a newcomer in the team, he is always a bit nervous as to whether he will be able to live up to the expectations. But when I observed Shikhar Bhai, Mayank, Bairstow, Bhanuka, Livingstone, etc. I realized that they have incredible self-belief. That really made me express myself and helped me instill some self-belief."
Jitesh Sharma on Jonny Bairstow's advice
Jitesh Sharma had an impactful season as a finisher, scoring 234 runs at a staggering strike rate of 163.64. He was so impressive that England star and PBKS teammate Jonny Bairstow said he was ready to represent India in the shortest format.
On this, Jitesh stated:
"I had many interactions during IPL 2022, but the one with Jonny Bairstow will always be memorable. He came to me once and told me that I had the ability to represent my country at the highest level in the T20 format. He advised me to stay focused on my performances and not worry much about selection."
Jitesh Sharma also spoke about how supportive former PBKS coach Anil Kumble was when he gave him his debut cap. He added:
"Anil sir had also motivated me while giving me my debut cap for the Punjab Kings. He advised me to continue doing the good work that I had done in domestic cricket and stated that I had earned the opportunity to play for Punjab because of my domestic performances. I had done well in practice games and was also batting well in the nets."
Jitesh has come to terms with the fact that as a finisher, he may not be successful in every scenario. He feels that this role needs mental toughness to maintain one's self-belief. Speaking about how he approaches his innings as a finisher, he explained:
"As a finisher, you need to be practical and accept that you will be in situations where you will win some games for your team, but also lose some. You can't become a hero in every game, all you can do is try and take every game as close as possible to your team's victory. So I have always believed in taking the game deep and trying to be there till the end to help my team get over the line."
It will be interesting to see if India give Jitesh Sharma the opportunity to play the finisher's role in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.