Kevin Pietersen suggests wicketkeeper-batter who can replace Rishabh Pant in Indian Team
Rishabh Pant last played for India against Bangaldesh.
SHARE
Apr 26, 2023 1:55 pm
Kevin Pietersen (Source: Twitter)
The Indian Premier League has shown cricket of the highest order so far in the tournament. After 35 matches, there have been a lot of close finishes. The games have been electric, and it has kept the fans hooked. Huge viewership numbers across TV and digital tell the story. Veterans such as Faf du Plessis and MS Dhoni have aged like fine wine and continue to show their prowess in the IPL which has continued to impress over the years.
There have been some young guns who have also impressed in the tournament so far. Jitesh Sharma, the Punjab Kings wicketkeeper batter, has had a good start to the tournament. In seven games, he has scored 145 runs at a wonderful strike rate of 149.48. The right-handed batter has played some impactful innings coming in at lower down the order. Kevin Pietersen hinted that Jitesh would be the ideal replacement for Rishabh Pant in the Indian Test side. Pant is still recovering from injuries he sustained in a near-fatal car accident in 2022.
Jitesh Sharma could take over from Rishabh Pant till he recovers – Kevin Pietersen
“India has their Rishabh Pant replacement. Jitesh Sharma, the wicket-keeper from Punjab Kings, is also something special. I think he could be the guy who takes over from Rishabh Pant for India if Pant is out for a while longer. His 25 off seven balls, including four sixes, against Mumbai on Saturday was match-winning,” Pietersen wrote in his column. Sharma, in his last game for PBKS, scored a game-changing 25 off 7 balls with four sixes against Mumbai Indians.
Jitesh has come in primarily as a finisher this year. He was another find for PBKS in 2022 where he played a huge role in the middle order for the franchise. In 2022, the right-hander made 234 runs from 12 games at an average of 29.25 and a sizzling strike rate of 163.63. The batter was a great utility player for them in 2022 and continues to deliver the goods in IPL 2023.
PBKS won their last game against MI by 13 runs. They raked up 214-8 on the board thanks to contributions from Sam Curran, Harpreet Singh Bhatia and Jitesh. The duo of Arshdeep Singh and Nathan Ellis stepped up with the ball and bowled beautifully in the death overs to seal the game for their side.
