A brief interaction between Indian women’s cricket team player Harleen Deol and Jitesh Sharma caught the people’s attention on Thursday, December 11. Jitesh and Deol met ahead of Men in Blue’s second T20I of the series against South Africa in Mullanpur, with the wicketkeeper-batter touching the feet of the World Cup-winning star.
A video on social media captured the moment as Deol saw Jitesh from a distance and funnily told him to touch her feet in respect and salutation. “Paer pado, paer pado (touch the feet),” she was seen telling Jitesh with a gesture to bow down to her feet, before the India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru player obliged.
The duo then had a brief chat and bid each other goodbye. Jitesh then continued his pre-match training
routine. Watch the video here:
Jitesh Sharma touched the feet of Harleen Deol 🙏 pic.twitter.com/89NXxFHqL1
— VIKAS (@Vikas662005) December 12, 2025
Deol had been invited for the unveiling of the Harmanpreet Kaur stand in honour of her 2025 World Cup-winning skipper at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
The Punjab Cricket Association authorities and the state’s chief minister, Bhagwant Mann, were present for the formal opening of the stand, along with a stand named after Sixer King Yuvraj Singh.
Deol, who has represented India across 37 One-Day Internationals and 26 T20Is, was a part of India’s landmark victory at the 2025 ICC World Cup. She played seven matches of her team’s ultimately successful campaign and struck 169 runs in her five innings.
The 27-year-old also plays for Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League.
Meanwhile, Jitesh continued his impressive comeback to India’s T20I side in the second match of the ongoing series versus the Proteas, executing a brilliant run-out of a well-set Quinton de Kock and playing a fighting cameo of 27 off 17 deliveries with the bat.
He has now played 14 T20Is for India with a strike rate of 151.41.
A designated powerhitter, Jitesh pipped fan favourite Sanju Samson to the spot as India’s preferred wicketkeeper-batter. He will be eyeing consistent performances to try and seal his place in the team for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, to be held in February and March.
