"My strength is to hit straight, be it Jofra Archer or anyone else" - Jitesh Sharma on his power game
Punjab Kings (PBKS) wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma strengthened his reputation as one of the most dangerous strikers of the cricket ball currently in the country during the IPL 2023 season.
The right-hander was used as a floater by PBKS and almost every single time, he delivered with an impactful cameo. Perhaps Jitesh's best performance came against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at Mohali, where he scored 49* off just 27 balls. He hit five fours and two sixes, taking apart world-class bowlers like Jofra Archer.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Jitesh Sharma explained how hitting straight down the ground and in the 'V' became a strength of his. He also shed light on the basics that he focuses on and said:
"Since childhood, we have been focusing on playing in the 'V' as the coaches have said. I think that has been in my subconscious mind and that's why while I attack I tend to hit straight. Basically, I don't look at the bowler who is bowling. I look at the delivery because in T20 you don't have that much time to play out a particular bowler. You have to back your strength and I feel mine is to hit straight, be it against Archer or anyone else."
Jitesh was brilliant against wrist spin too, particularly because he didn't try to slog across the line to the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and instead tried to clear the boundary over the covers and straight down the ground. On this, he added:
"Whenever we attack too hard, naturally we lose shape and our head is not still. So when you're calmer, you are in a better position to hit the ball. When you're in a rush, sometimes you don't understand that you're losing shape while hitting. When you remain calm, you get to hit sixes with lesser risk percentage than when you try and slog and there are chances of the ball going straight up in the air."
Jitesh Sharma on the role of a floater
Jitesh Sharma had a slightly different role in IPL 2023 as he was used as per the situation by both captains Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran. Sometimes it was to bat at No.3 and No.4 and cash in on the good platform set and sometimes it was about finishing the innings down the order.
However, Jitesh played both of those roles brilliantly and showed his range as a power-hitter. On preparing for such a role, the wicketkeeper stated:
"I had initially opened for my state so I was used to the role. It was an opportunity for me to face more balls and create a bigger impact at a high strike rate. This is because we had Shahrukh, Sam Brar, Rishi Bhai to follow. So they thought that if they give me 30-40 balls to face instead of 10-20, I could make a bigger impact on the game because they felt I was capable of playing a big innings."
Jitesh Sharma's versatility and his ability to hit out of the screws from ball one make him a unique prospect for Team India.