Jitesh Sharma has steadily risen through the ranks in Indian cricket earning his national debut and securing a hefty ₹11 crore deal at the IPL 2024 mega-auction There's one frontier he’s yet to cross letting Virat Kohli in. Currently turning out for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Jitesh has gained a reputation as one of India's promising wicketkeeping talents. However remains something of a mystery to the former RCB captain.
At a recent event, Kohli was asked about someone he’s eager to know better, Kohli’s response made it clear he’s waiting for Jitesh to drop the guard. He said, “One guy who is really funny but hasn't opened up with me is Jitesh. I would really want to see that fun, raw side of him. Because I can see it in his eyes that he has got that mischief about him. He is very street smart – you can see that on the field. He finds different ways of looking at things. So I would like to get to know him more,” .
Jitesh Sharma and Virat Kohli's performance in IPL 2025
Jitesh's current IPL form hasn’t matched the buzz around him. He has tallied just 121 runs across seven innings, with his highest being an unbeaten 40 against Mumbai Indians. Yet within the RCB camp, there's no visible concern. Kohli’s interest in Jitesh goes beyond numbers — it’s about connection, camaraderie, and perhaps a glimpse into the mindset of a player who’s still figuring out his rhythm.
On the other end of the performance spectrum is Kohli himself, continuing to lead by example with the bat. The two-time Orange Cap winner, in 2016 and again this season, sits at No. 3 on the run-scorers list with 443 runs at a staggering average of 63 behind only Suryakumar Yadav and Sai Sudharsan.
