Gavaskar Sad About India Star's T20 WC Snub: 'After MS Dhoni, He Was Best At...'

Sunil Gavaskar feels wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma did ‘nothing wrong’ to deserve being dropped from India’s squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The former skipper said that Jitesh kept well in his limited chances, even praising him to be the best after MS Dhoni at ‘helping the captain with DRS calls’.

Jitesh returned to the team in November when India’s experiment with Sanju Samson in the middle-order didn’t work out. However, opener Shubman Gill’s poor form means Samson has returned to the top of the order, prompting India to look for a wicketkeeping backup who could also open the innings.

Ajit Agarkar and co. turned to Ishan Kishan, who top-scored in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with over 500 runs at a 190-plus strike-rate to help Jharkhand

lift the title.

“He (Jitesh) did nothing wrong. He was a very good wicketkeeper in his chances, and after MS Dhoni, he was perhaps the best at helping the captain with DRS calls from behind the stumps,” Gavaskar said on JioStar.

With the bat, Jitesh only got five chances in the difficult finishing position where time and deliveries are limited. He scored 62 runs at a strike-rate of 158.97 in it.

However, Gavaskar seemed to get Jitesh’s age wrong, as he called the 32-year-old ‘young’.

“It is tough on him, but he is young. He just needs to go back to domestic cricket and keep performing,” he said.

Gavaskar was also happy for Kishan, saying that he proved that IPL was not the only criterion for India selection.

“When you see someone performing, you pick him. Ishan Kishan has already been in the side and shown he can do it. That is a big plus. His current form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy proves that domestic cricket performance must be the selection criterion, not just the IPL,” Gavaskar added. “I am very happy for him. He was out of the team for a couple of years but made a fantastic comeback by leading his state team Jharkhand to a title winning season.”

This is not the end of the road for Jitesh. He might still get into the ODI team and would anyway go back to play in the IPL, where he could make a case for a post-World Cup return.