Jitesh Sharma said that he didn't get too many opportunities to speak to MS Dhoni during the Indian Premier League (IPL), but he did get some valuable
advice on one instance from the former India captain.
After Chennai Super Kings' IPL matches, visuals of MS Dhoni interacting with young Indian cricketers from the opposition side are a normal occurrence. Youngsters try to pick the stalwart's brain, as they know how beneficial it can be in their careers.
Baroda's wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh, who plays for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL, said that Dhoni advised him to keep things simple and focus on the process.
"Frankly speaking, I didn’t get to speak much with him. We usually just shook hands after the game. But I did get one opportunity to interact with him, and he told me to keep things simple and focus on the process," Jitesh stated during an exclusive interview with CricTracker.
Jitesh Sharma on fans' reactions in Chepauk and Chinnaswamy on the arrivals of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli
Jitesh was asked to share his take regarding the fans' reactions when MS Dhoni walks out to bat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Amrawati-born said that the Chepauk crowd goes berserk upon seeing Dhoni, and their reactions are similar to those of the RCB fans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium when Virat Kohli makes his way to the crease.
"There’s no need to say anything about it, everyone is aware. Whenever he walks out at Chepauk, the entire Chennai crowd goes crazy, just like the Chinnaswamy crowd in Bengaluru goes berserk when Kohli comes out to bat," the 32-year-old mentioned.
Jitesh was one of the best performers for RCB during their triumphant IPL 2025 campaign. The experienced campaigner scored 261 runs in 15 matches at an average of 37.29 and a strike rate of 176.35.
He was a part of the Indian team during the five-match T20I series against South Africa last month. However, he was replaced by Ishan Kishan for the upcoming T20I matches against New Zealand and the subsequent T20 World Cup.
