Jitesh Sharma, a youthful player for the Punjab Kings, recently spoke up about his participation in the Indian Premier League 2022 and discussed the insightful guidance he got from the seasoned Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan. Jitesh made his debut in the Indian Premier League during this year’s competition and played a few cameo roles that stood out for the Punjab Kings. In just 12 games, he managed to rack up an amazing 234 runs while having a strike rate of over 160. His impressive displays of determination at the crease, when he was bought into Punjab’s aggressive batting style, was a highlight.
The kid discussed the direction and instruction that he got from Punjab teammate Shikhar Dhawan while speaking with Dr. Yash Kashikar on his program titled “Say Yash to Sports.” The southpaw, who has been one of the stalwarts of the IPL and is one of the most consistent performers in the history of the tournament, advised the youngster to stop focusing on the bowlers and instead focus on the ball and react to that particular ball.
“I had a lot of conversations with Shikhar Bhai. When I was a kid, he had a significant impact on my way of thinking. When I asked him how I should play against a certain bowler, he gave me some advice. All that is about a ball. Batting, on the other hand, is all about how you respond to a particular ball, and you can only have that response when you are at peace inside yourself and in the zone. And you won’t be able to go into that zone unless you have the correct mentality. That attitude will only come when you prepare, eat, and think properly, so practically, he taught me everything,” the Punjab player added.
The nice and fuzzy message that Shikhar Dhawan sent to Jitesh Sharma was, “I appreciate every bit of your batting.”
Many people were taken aback by the fact that Dhawan is not a part of the current Indian limited-overs structure. This is because Dhawan had a strong season in the IPL 2022, scoring 460 runs at an average of 38.33 runs per game. Jitesh recalled a touching interaction with the veteran player, during which the southpaw presented him with a bat as a gift.
“We spoke for around half an hour every day. In addition to that, he presented me with his bat and inscribed it on it, I admire every bit of your batting, Jitesh,” he added.
