Once again, Punjab Kings’ wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma couldn’t turn things around with his batting as his team suffered a close two-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL 2024.
Before the start of this season’s IPL 2024, Jitesh was being hailed as India’s top wicketkeeper-batter. However, his performance for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) has been far from what was expected.
In the recent PBKS vs SRH match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Jitesh could only manage to score 19 runs off 11 balls before getting dismissed by Nitish Kumar Reddy. This early departure proved costly for PBKS as they fell short by just two runs while chasing a target of 184 runs.
With the team relying on him as the vice-captain to steady the ship, Jitesh’s inability to anchor the innings was a significant setback. Despite starting well with a boundary and a six, his innings came to an abrupt end when he mistimed a hook shot and was caught out by Abhishek Sharma off Nitish Kumar Reddy’s bowling.
Throughout this IPL season, Jitesh has struggled to find his form, managing only 77 runs in five matches at an average of 15 and a strike rate of 135. As a result, he has faced criticism from fans on social media platforms.
Initially named Punjab’s vice-captain due to his past performances, Jitesh’s recent string of poor scores has led many to believe that he can only make cameo appearances in matches.
Here is how fans reacted to Jitesh’s poor form:
