‘He's the find of the IPL. Lower down the order, he's a todu (fantastic) player.’

Former Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri has praised Jitesh Sharma, the wicketkeeper-batsman for Punjab Kings, saying that he has the potential to join the Indian team at any time.

Jitesh has been a regular player for the Mohali-based franchise since the last season and has shown consistency in his performance.

In the ongoing IPL 2023 season, Jitesh has scored 190 runs at an average of 21.11 with an impressive strike rate of 162.39 in the nine matches he has played so far.

Despite being called up for the series against Sri Lanka, he is yet to make his debut for the Indian team. However, Shastri believes that Jitesh will get his chance soon, especially with Rishabh Pant being out due to injury.

“He's the find of the IPL. Rishabh Pant is unfortunately not available but this guy can enter the Indian team anytime. Lower down the order, he's a todu (fantastic) player. His keeping is great, and he is fearless. You're talking about Shikhar, he missed 2-3 games with injury, but his intent is amazing. He scored 20-25, but the intent with which he plays is amazing. And then of course, they have (Liam) Livingstone and (Sam) Curran,” Shastri told Cricinfo.

Shastri praised Jitesh for his fearless and fantastic performance lower down the order and commended his amazing intent while batting.

• IPL 2023