3 min readMar 27, 2026 08:53 PM IST
Jitesh Sharma lost his spot in the squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 very late. The Indian team has decided to go with Ishan Kishan as the wicket-keeper alongside Sanju Samson. Jitesh, recalling the difficult period, said Hardik Pandya was the first person to message him and also revealed how helpful Hardik is.
“Hardik bhai was the first one who messaged me when I wasn’t picked for the World Cup,” Jitesh told on the YouTube channel in interaction with Ranveer Allahbadia. “He advised me to just keep growing as a person, as a cricketer. A lot of cricketers messaged me. Arshdeep (Singh), Avesh (Khan) – they are my good friends and they all messaged. Shivam (Dube) bhai too.”
“Hardik Pandya is the most helpful guy I’ve met. I’ve not met anyone who gives more bats to kids than him, even without being asked. He even gave one to me once. Even Krunal bhai, you call him and he’s there to help you,” he said.
“I also play for Baroda and have interacted with him (Hardik) several times. He’s a very smart cricketer who knows exactly what he’s doing,” he added.
“Have you ever seen a spinner bowl a bouncer? He’s the first spinner who (regularly) does that. That shows his mentality. Have you ever heard of a batter being afraid that a spinner might bowl a bouncer? That’s the fear he has created,” he said.
Heartbreaking
Earlier in January recalling the snub in an interaction with CricTracker, Jitesh said: “I wasn’t aware of my omission until the squad was announced. After that, I agreed with the explanation given by the selectors in the press conference; it was a valid reason. Later, I had discussions with the coaches and selectors, and I felt their reasoning was fair. I completely understood what they wanted to explain to me, and I agreed with it.”
“It was heartbreaking, as I had worked very hard to play in the ICC T20 World Cup. But that’s destiny, I can’t deny it. At that moment, I was numb and couldn’t process anything. Spending time with my family and talking to Dinesh Karthik helped me move forward,” Jitesh added speaking to CrickTracker.
