Jitesh Sharma opens up on T20 World Cup snub

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has finally addressed his absence from India’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup, revealing that he had no advance communication from the selectors before the team was officially announced. The 31-year-old admitted that he only came to know about his omission once the final list was made public.

Over the past year, Jitesh has steadily built his reputation as a dependable option in the shortest format. He featured in India’s T20I assignments against Australia and South Africa and has been part of the team’s plans during the latter half of the season. At the franchise level, he enjoyed a landmark year after moving to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2025, playing a key role in the team’s maiden IPL title triumph. He also captained India A in the Men’s Emerging Asia Cup, though the side fell short of making it to the knockout stage.

Despite being involved in multiple T20I series leading up to the tournament, Jitesh found himself left out when India named their 15-member squad for the home T20 World Cup in 2026. His recent outings against Australia and South Africa yielded limited returns with the bat, and he was subsequently overlooked for the New Zealand T20I series as well.

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Speaking candidly about the situation, Jitesh said the lack of prior information initially came as a surprise. However, he added that he later understood the selectors’ perspective.

“I came to know about it only after the squad was announced. Once I heard the explanation given in the press conference, I felt it was fair. After that, I had conversations with the coaches and selectors, and their reasoning made sense to me. I completely understood what they wanted to convey,” Jitesh said.