Jitesh Sharma recently mentioned Sanju Samson as his 'elder brother', which has created a stir. Jitesh, who is playing for India replacing Samson in the South Africa T20Is, made an honest comment on his teammate after the 1st T20I.
After Shubman Gill's inclusion to the team, Sanju has been handed a middle-order role, which has not been natural to him. Despite doing decently, Samson has lost his place to Jitesh, who is a natural finisher and is honing his role with ease.
And when asked about his relationship with the Kerala player, Jitesh mentioned Sanju as a key member of the squad, and an elder brother to him.
"I am very grateful that he is in the team and I am under him. Frankly speaking, he is like an elder brother to me and I think because
of healthy competition, your talent comes out. I think it's good for the team also," Jitesh said.
The two Indian players are pushing each other hard for a spot, and Jitesh admitted the healthy competition between the duo.
"There is so much talent in the Indian team. You can feel it. Sanju Bhai is out and I am playing. He is a great player. One of the great players. If I have to compete with him, I have to play shoulder to shoulder, then I have to bring my A game," he added.
Amid this, Jitesh calling Sanju as elder brother is nothing but symbolic. Jitesh, who is 32, is older than Sanju, who is 31 years old. But in the world of professionalism, seniority is often considered by experience at a certain position, rather than the biological age.
Samson has played a lot more international matches than Jitesh, and has been around the Indian team for a much longer period. Hence, Jitesh's comment about Sanju as his elder brother is simply out of respect and acknowledgement for his teammate, who is senior to him at this level.
