Jitesh Sharma is a talented Indian wicketkeeper-batsman. He has a good track record and plenty of experience in domestic cricket and the IPL. Many people were surprised when he was left out of the upcoming T20 World Cup squad 2026. There are a few reasons for this decision.
At first, Jitesh was the main choice for a backup wicketkeeper-batsman. He played in several recent T20 matches and did a very good job. However, the team management, including Ajit Agarkar and the coach, changed their plan. Before, they wanted Shubman Gill to open with Abhishek Sharma, with Jitesh Sharma playing as the finisher and wicketkeeper. In that plan, Sanju Samson was on the bench.
But after Shubman Gill did not perform well despite many chances, the management looked at Sanju Samson’s great form. Now, they are looking at Sanju as an opening wicketkeeper-batsman. Because of this change, and Ishan Kishan’s recent domestic performance, they picked Ishan as the backup opening wicketkeeper. For the finishing role, they chose Rinku Singh as a backup. Jitesh Sharma Missed Out on the T20 World Cup Squad 2026.
The Real Reason Jitesh Sharma Missed Out on the T20 World Cup Squad
Ishan Kishan is a like-for-like backup player for Sanju Samson because they share a similar skill set. He has the ability to play in any batting position and is a great wicketkeeper. A big plus point is that he is currently in great form and is scoring runs with a very high strike rate.
Read More: Securing Venkatesh Iyer at a Bargain Price of 7 CR
Indian cricket fans are watching these bold decisions closely. Taking these kinds of risks when announcing a squad is a big move.
Here is the Indian team squad: “Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.”
