India cricket team captain Suryakumar Yadav explained the rationale behind leaving out Jitesh Sharma from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad for Ishan Kishan despite the former being consistent. Until December 2025, the RCB keeper-batter was the Men in Blue’s go-to wicketkeeper in the shortest format of the game, having played seven matches in the year. However, Jitesh was snubbed from the T20 WC squad to accomodate an in-form Ishan Kishan and the call paid off for India and the selectors.
How did Ishan Kishan displace Jitesh Sharma?
In a podcast on PTI, Suryakumar expalained that while it was ‘harsh’ on Jitesh for leaving him out and that it was a tough call, the team needed to add more firepower to the top order and hence opted for Kishan. He said that the team also wanted to maintain the left-right combination and also have the option of two wicketkeepers opening the innings. SKY claimed that the decision to pick Kishan over Jitesh was based on instinct.
“The decision was largely based on instinct, though there was also some consideration of data. It was really harsh on Jitesh Sharma, because he was also playing for 1.5 years, and leaving him out was a tough call. However, the team felt the need to add more firepower at the top of the order and also wanted the option of left-right opening combinations or even two wicketkeepers opening the innings, which meant someone had to miss out,” Suryakumar explained.
The Jharkhand keeper-batter earned his way back into the T20I setup with consistent performances in domestic cricket. And it paid off. He was extremely consistent for India in the T20 WC. He finished with 317 runs to his name from 9 innings, averaging 35.22 and boasting of a strike rate of 193.29. Kishan provided the perfect stability for India while majorly batting at number 3.
“I called him (Ishan Kishan) and said ‘Chotu, World Cup Jitaega?’, to which he said, ‘Bhaiya, Bas Bharosa Karke Dekhiye, so said, ‘Chal Kiya Bharosa’. And, the way he played was amazing,” SKY revealed.
Cricket
'Harsh' decision to snub Jitesh Sharma for Ishan Kishan in T20 World Cup squad explained
