Jitesh Sharma is an Indian cricketer who plays for the Punjab franchise in the Indian Premier League. Jitesh Sharma was born on Oct 22, 1993; and as of 2024, he is 31 years old. Jitesh Sharma is a wicket keeper from Amravati, Maharashtra and bats right-handed. He made his IPL debut in 2022. Jitesh Sharma has played 26 matches to date in his IPL career and has scored 543 runs, with an average of 25.86. With his highest IPL score being 49* runs. Jitesh Sharma has hit 44 fours and 33 sixes in his IPL career. In the IPL Auction 2024, the Punjab franchise acquired the services of Jitesh Sharma for Rs 20.00 Lac. In May 2023, he played his last IPL match against Rajasthan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, India, scoring 44 runs off 28 balls.
Jitesh Sharma Biography
| Full name | Jitesh Mohan Sharma |
| Nick Name | |
| Date of Birth/DOB/ age | Oct 22, 1993 (30 years) |
| Birth Place | Amrawati, Maharashtra |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Libra |
| Profession | Cricketer (Wicketkeeper-batter) |
| Country | India |
| Cricket Role | Wicketkeeper Batter |
| Father name | Mohan Sharma (hails from Kangra, Himachal Pradesh) |
| Mother name | Ashima Sharma |
| Married | Unmarried |
| Spouse or Girlfriend | |
| Children | |
| Education Qualification | Graduate |
| Religion | |
| Current Residence | Amravati, Maharashtra |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Batting Style | Right hand Bat |
| Bowling Style | |
| Domestic Cricket debut | |
| International Debut | T20I– 3 October 2023 against Nepal |
| Teams | India, Central Zone, Vidarbha, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings |
Jitesh Sharma Physical Statistics
| Height | in centimeters– 178 cm in meters– 1.78 m in feet & inches– 5’ 10” |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Brown |
Jitesh Sharma Profile
Jitesh Sharma always preferred being outdoors playing sports rather than studying. It was this aversion to studies that helped Jitesh find a passion in cricket, and that proved the perfect decision.
Jitesh Sharma performed superbly in the 2012-13 Cooch Behar Trophy, which propelled him to get a place in the senior Vidarbha side. He made a name for an emerging Vidarbha side as a lower order finisher in limited overs cricket. Jitesh Sharma was also picked by Mumbai Indians in 2016, but didn’t get a game.
It looked like his prime was behind him as Jitesh failed to make it beyond the domestic circuit for a few years, and was heading towards oblivion. However, Jitesh Sharma had other plans as he sprang back to life in the 2021-22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored 19 sixes in the competition, the most in the tournament and carved a niche for himself as a lower-order dasher.
This Mushtaq Ali form piqued interest from Punjab Kings for the 2022 IPL, and Jitesh proved to be a real dark horse. Playing a wide array of ramps, scoops and smashing those huge sixes, Jitesh was one of the breakout stars of the 2022 IPL. He followed that up with another solid Mushtaq Ali series, and got a maiden India call-up in 2023, being roped in mid-series against Sri Lanka for an injured Sanju Samson.
Opportunities have been limited for Jitesh in the International circuit, as he has often been picked as a backup to Ishan Kishan in the T20I side. He got his chances in the Asian Games, and got a game in the home series against Australia as well in 2023.
Jitesh Sharma Career Stats
Batting & Fielding
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20Is | 9 | 7 | 0 | 100 | 35 | 14.28 | 68 | 147.05 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| FC | 18 | 27 | 0 | 661 | 69 | 24.48 | 1208 | 54.71 | 0 | 4 | 86 | 10 | 56 | 5 |
| List A | 47 | 43 | 1 | 1350 | 107 | 32.14 | 1708 | 79.03 | 2 | 7 | 149 | 21 | 46 | 6 |
| T20s | 106 | 98 | 14 | 2303 | 106 | 27.41 | 1545 | 149.06 | 1 | 10 | 224 | 105 | 63 | 16 |
Bowling
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20Is | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| FC | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| List A | 47 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | 3.00 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20s | 106 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | 5.00 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jitesh Sharma IPL Auction Price History
Year | Price | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 20.00 Lac | Punjab |
| 2023 | 20.00 Lac | Punjab |
| 2024 | 20.00 Lac | Punjab |
Jitesh Sharma’s Social Media Accounts
| Jitesh Sharma (@jiteshsharma_) | |
| Jitesh Sharma (@jiteshsharma_) | |
| Wikipedia | Jitesh Sharma |
Some Lesser-Known Facts About Jitesh Sharma
- Jitesh Sharma is an Indian wicketkeeper, who plays for Vidarbha in Indian domestic cricket. A right-handed batsman, Jitesh is associated with the Indian Premier League (IPL) (as of 2022). BCCI named Jitesh in the Indian T20 International squad for India’s three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka in January 2023. Jitesh replaced Sanju Samson in the team after Samson suffered a knee injury in the first match of the series.
- Jitesh grew up in a middle-class family in Amravati, Maharashtra.Jitesh Sharma’s childhood picture
- Jitesh dreamt of joining the Indian armed forces since childhood.
- Not so good at academics in school days, Jitesh joined his school’s cricket team as it allowed him to miss his classes. Later, he carried on with the sport to get 4% grace marks in the army test. In an interview, while sharing the same, Jitesh said,
I actually wanted to go into the armed forces. In Maharashtra school cricket, you get 4% grace in army tests if you play state cricket. I joined my school team because they played around the state level. I decided I’ll give a trial, and that’s how I started playing the sport. My dad never questioned me, and funnily enough, my mother still doesn’t know that I am playing at a level like the IPL. None of my cricket friends from those days play the sport – they all have normal jobs now.”In the same interview, Jitesh revealed the reason for choosing cricket as his career. He said,Somehow cricket has followed me. There were state trials once, for the BCCI U-16 tournament, and I scored runs there. But even then I had the air force as my first option, and I told my father that again. He agreed with my ambition but just asked me to keep playing cricket to keep my fitness levels up. Next year I wanted to keep playing so I went for U-19 trials, and once I got selected there too, I thought, I can make something out of this cricket.” - Following Jitesh’s exceptional performance in the 2012-13 Cooch Behar Trophy, Sharma was added to the senior team of Vidarbha in 2013. He scored 537 runs including two centuries and one fifty in 12 innings during the 2012-13 Cooch Behar Trophy.
- On 27 February 2014, Jitesh Sharma made his List A debut in the 2013–14 Vijay Hazare Trophy against Rajasthan in Jaipur. Batting primarily in the top order, Sharma played only limited over matches for Vidarbha in the first two seasons of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.Jitesh Sharma playing a cricket match for Vidarbha team
- He made his T20 debut against UP in Nagpur on 31 March 2014.
- During the 2015-2016 Ranji Trophy, Jitesh made his first-class debut on 1 October 2015, playing against Odisha at Nagpur. The tournament was very ordinary for Jitesh as he scored just 180 runs in seven matches at an average of 18.Jitesh Sharma playing a test match
- In the 2015-16 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Jitesh scored 343 runs, including one century and two fifties, at a strike rate of 143.51, becoming the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament.
- Sharma was the highest run-scorer for Vidarbha in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 298 runs in seven matches.
- His exceptional performance for Vidarbha at the top order caught the eye of the selectors of the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians in 2016, who bought him for Rs. 10 lacks during the IPL auction.
- In 2017, he was a part of the Mumbai Indians team that won the Indian Premier League season 10. However, he did not play in any match for the team. Post the league, he was released by Mumbai Indians.Jitesh Sharma during Mumbai Indians practice session
- In February 2022, during the Indian Premier League auctions, Jitesh was signed up by the IPL franchise Punjab Kings for Rs. 20 lakhs.
- Jitesh played his first IPL match for Punjab Kings against Chennai Super Kings on 3 April 2022. In the match, Sharma scored 26 runs of 17 balls, helping Punjab Kings to win. He hit three sixes in the match against bowlers like Moeen Ali.Jitesh Sharma playing cricket for Punjab Kings
- Thereafter, he played around 10 IPL matches for Punjab Kings, scoring 234 runs at a strike rate of 163.63. He struck 22 fours and 12 sixes in the matches.Jitesh Sharma celebrating the wicket of Hardik Pandya in a match
- In his spare time, Jitesh loves to travel, do adventure sports, and play golf.
- He has promoted a few sports nutrition brands like My Proteinin on his Instagram account.Jitesh Sharma endorsing My Proteinin products on Instagram
- Jitesh is very particular about his fitness and visits the gym regularly.Jitesh Sharma inside a gym
- He is fluent in three languages- Hindi, Marathi, and English.
- Jitesh is a huge fan of Rohit Sharma‘s batting. In an interview, while sharing the advice that he once received from Rohit, Jitesh said,
When I was with MI, I was a top-order batter and naturally, Rohit Sharma has been one of my favorite players. I had once interacted with him in the nets, where he told me, ‘Focus on using the speed of the bowler. When the speed of the bowler increases, it is better to trust your timing rather than your power-game.’ So, that advice has stayed with me and I try and implement it to date.” - The South African cricketer AB de Villiers is his idol. In an interview, Jitesh was asked if he was working on building a 360-degree game like De Villiers. He replied,
AB de Villiers has been my idol ever since I started batting in the middle-order. 360 degree to nahi par 250-260 degree ki koshish jaroor karta hu (laughs) (Not trying to play 360-degree shots, but trying to cover 250-260 degrees atleast).” - Jitesh is very popular for the variety of strokes that he plays.
- In an interview, Jitesh revealed that he suffered depression after he was excluded from Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy.
