Know all about Jitesh Sharma, India's surprise pick to replace Sanju Samson

After ruling out wicket-keeper Sanju Samson for the remainder of the IND vs SL series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named Jitesh Sharma as a surprise replacement. Samson will play no further part in the series after he suffered a knee injury while fielding during the first India vs Sri Lanka T20I, a BCCI statement confirmed.

Who is Jitesh Sharma?

Vidarbha and Punjab Kings (PBKS) wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma is expected to join the Team India squad on Thursday ahead of the second T20I against Sri Lanka after Sanju Samson was deemed unfit to continue in the series. Jitesh had a strong season with PBKS last year in the IPL as he smacked 234 runs from just 12 innings at a decent strike rate of 163.63.

His performances were so strong that PBKS also retained him ahead of the recently held IPL 2023 auctions. And it is not just in the IPL that Jitesh starred as the 29-year-old also played an outstanding role in the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Vidarbha. He scored 224 runs from 10 innings at a fantastic strike rate of 175.

Why is Samson ruled out for 2nd India vs Sri Lanka T20I?

The BCCI released a statement to confirm that Sanju Samson had been ruled out for the second India vs Sri Lanka T20I after suffering a knee injury. Their statement read, "Team India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson has been ruled out of the remainder of the 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Samson hurt his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during the 1st T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The statement added, "He was taken for scans and a specialist opinion this afternoon in Mumbai by the BCCI Medical Team and has been advised rest and rehabilitation. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Jitesh Sharma as a replacement for Sanju Samson."

Team India's updated squad: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.