Kevin Pietersen, the former England batting star, has expressed his belief that Jitesh Sharma, a 29-year-old right-hand batter and wicketkeeper, could serve as the ideal replacement for Rishabh Pant in the Indian one-day team. Pant, who was involved in a nasty car accident last December, is expected to miss the World Cup, scheduled to be held in India in October-November.
Pietersen said that India could replace Pant with someone who performs well during the ongoing IPL season. He then singled out Jitesh as a promising candidate, after his impressive performance against Mumbai Indians (MI).
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“India have their Rishabh Pant replacement,” Pietersen wrote in his Betway column. “Jitesh Sharma, the wicket-keeper from Punjab Kings, is also something special. I think he could be the guy who takes over from Rishabh Pant for India if Pant is out for a while longer. His 25 off seven balls, including four sixes, against Mumbai on Saturday was match-winning.”
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Jitesh’s impressive performances this season have made him a standout player for the Punjab Kings. The wicketkeeper-batter from Vidarbha has amassed 145 runs so far in IPL 2023, at a blistering strike rate of 149.