From Small-Town Roots to Big-Hitting Finisher: The Jitesh Sharma Story

New Delhi: Jitesh Sharma has all the traits of a small-town boy.In his home town Amravati in Maharashtra, he and his childhood friends still go to the old tea shop to enjoy the 'cutting' (tea). He still roams around the streets on his bike, where he is still Jitesh. Not Jitesh Sharma the India cricketer. And, more recently, not Jitesh the IPL winner."I am kind of anti-social. I only open up with folks who are closer to me. This is my nature. Wo small-town ladko ka hota hai, shaam mein jo 4-5 dost ke saath tafri karte hai bas unke saath hi baith jaata hun (That’s the way it is with small-town boys. In the evenings I just hang out with my four-five closest friends)," he tells TimesofIndia.com.It was the same bunch of friends with whom he wanted to clear the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam, and the group got to know about a Maharashtra government law, where representing your state would earn you 25 extra marks, and for those extra marks, he started playing cricket.In that endeavour, Jitesh, who didn't have a coach, took to watching YouTube videos of Adam Gilchrist and Sourav Ganguly. At 29, he made his India debut at the Hangzhou Asian Games. After a few outings, he got dropped, but never gave up, because he believes in destiny and has dreams.Jitesh bounced back in style, played a pivotal role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) title-winning season, but it was not the runs that caught the selectors’ eyes, it was his 176.35 strike rate while batting at 6 and 7. And now he has been rewarded with a place in India's 15-member squad for the Asia Cup at the age of 31.The cricketing journey of Jitesh Sharma is as nonchalant as his batting style.But he disagrees."Mere naseeb mey tha. Mujhe ache log milte gaye. Mere bhaagya mey tha (It was in my destiny. I kept meeting good people. It was fate)," he says.Jitesh credits his childhood friends, his former Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal, his mentor Dinesh Karthik, who made him his personal project during the IPL, and Ruchir Mishra, a former TOI journalist who passed away during COVID-19."I got lucky at every stage of my career. Be it Ruchir bhai always giving me that confidence through texts and calls or now DK bhai, who saw something in me that no one ever saw. I just got lucky in my career," he reflects.The other small-town trait that Jitesh carries is manifesting. At the start of IPL 2025, he had told himself that he would have a photo carrying the IPL trophy with Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik standing next to him. He later shared a post on his Instagram, where he wrote, "Power of Manifestation - Holding the IPL Trophy with Virat bhai on the left and DK Anna on the right.""When I joined the RCB team in March, I was asked to manifest something for myself or the team, and this is what I wrote. So happy to see this come true!"Jitesh's introvert nature caught Virat Kohli's attention as well. Kohli had mentioned it during the IPL, saying Jitesh's personality made him curious. "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," Kohli had said.Jitesh admits his small-town values forced him to leave Virat Kohli alone and only have a meaningful conversation with the legend during the IPL."Again I come from a small town, where you give lots of respect to your seniors. You don't intrude in their personal space," he explains."Mere liye unse baat karni hi badi baat hai. Mai jaanta hun ki Virat bhai ka stature, toh mai koshish karta tha ki kyu hi unke personal space mein jau, kyu pareshaan karu (For me, just talking to him is a big deal. I know Virat bhai’s stature, so I would try not to intrude on his personal space or bother him unnecessarily)."I used to talk to him about cricket only. Out of respect I maintained my distance. I only wanted to have a meaningful conversation with him," he adds.The stint with RCB proved to be a turning point in Jitesh's career. In Dinesh Karthik, he found an elder brother, and someone he is ready to follow till the end of the world.He also gets emotional while talking about Dinesh Karthik."Jo kisi ne mere andar aaj tak nahi dekhi woh us insaan ne mere andar dekha. Sab logo ne mere mein khaamiyaan dhoondi but us aadmi ne mere mey khoobi dekhi (What no one had ever seen inside me, that person saw within me. Everyone else looked for flaws in me, but that man saw my strengths)," says Jitesh."People used to tell me what I lack, but he worked on my strength and made me more confident about my game. That has made a huge difference. I felt it was my duty to give 100 per cent because of the way he instilled that confidence in me. He is like an elder brother to me. I have found that elder brother very late in my life, but I am glad that I did. I follow his instructions without asking any questions," he says.Jitesh believes in naseeb (fate). He found his cricketing idol in Suryakumar Yadav very late in his cricketing career. Surya, who is now the captain of India's T20I team, became Jitesh's Dronacharya (teacher). Inspired by Surya's journey, he started copying his shots and finally played the famous Supla shot (associated with Surya) off Kyle Jamieson in the IPL final during his 10-ball 24 at the packed Narendra Modi Stadium, which eventually proved crucial as RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs to lift the title."Surya bhai is an inspiration for so many people. He made his international debut at 31. It gives lots of hope for all the late bloomers. He is one of the best T20I batters in the world. He can manipulate the field, he can tear apart any bowling attack."Wo talent ke bhandaar hai, mai unse seekhne ki koshish karta rehta hoon, unko copy karne ki koshish karta hoon (He is a storehouse of talent; I keep trying to learn from him and often try to emulate him). I used to copy him a lot. But now I have started to execute the shots as well. Ek Supla aaya IPL final mey (I managed to hit one Surya special in the IPL final)," he says.Captain Suryakumar Yadav had also praised Jitesh during the Asia Cup squad announcement."We spoke a lot on how to go about it. We spoke about let’s not think of milestones ahead, follow your journey. Been a completely different cricketer post that. The way he performed in the IPL and domestic tournaments he played, he’s done really well, has earned his spot again,” Suryakumar had shared.Jitesh understands his role as finisher is a double-edged sword and has a perfect Hindi catchphrase for his job -- "Chale toh chaand tak nahi toh shaam tak.""As a finisher, you have to understand that there will be more bad days than good days. You can only try to win the game for your team. No one can guarantee that you can finish the match for your team. Even the world's best finisher’s winning percentage is very low."It is all about giving your best for the team. When you think about your team and your mates, it eases the pressure on you. You feel more motivated," he adds.The thing that excited Jitesh about joining the Indian Army was the teamwork, and he tries to put those valuable lessons he learnt into his cricket."When you think only about your own performance, you play under pressure. But when you put the team first, you see it as a responsibility, and then you automatically start making better decisions," he reasons.Jitesh says he doesn't believe in expressing his emotions. He just wants to enjoy his keeping, batting, and overall wants to grow as a cricketer."I have learnt from my past mistakes that you should never express your emotions. One should keep your feelings and emotions inside," he says.Jitesh may have become an IPL star, an Indian player, but his heart is still in Amravati.He is just another small-town boy, who dons the gloves and tries finishing the game with the bat.