Every ball counts in T20 cricket, and Jitesh Sharma proved that one. Jitesh's astute review turned the match as the Rajasthan team looked to be in control. In a position of comfort with Dhruv Jurel set at the crease, Jitesh`s alertness turned the tide dramatically with a well-deserved win for his team in IPL 2025.
Though he had minimal effect with the bat, behind the stumps, he had a maximum effect. Jitesh was the game-changer as Rajasthan was sailing serenely. In the second last over, he coaxed skipper Rajat Patidar into taking the review. Jurel had faintly edged a yorker wide and not much of an appeal came from the fielders.
But still, Jitesh persisted. The replays suggested a waft, not the most glaring of edges, off Jurel's bat, ending his innings at precisely the wrong moment. That was the juncture where the balance swung, and Hazlewood followed up with the dismissal of Jofra Archer to close that over. But dismissing a set Jurel-who had earlier smashed Bhuvneshwar Kumar-was crucial for RCB in Chinnaswamy.
But that was not the end of Jitesh's heroics. In the very last over, while defending 17 runs, he made a brilliant dive to run out Wanindu Hasaranga. The Sri Lankan all-rounder just fell short of being in the crease, and RCB went on to win by 11 runs, defending 18 in the last 2 overs.
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Constituting another useful contribution, Jitesh chipped in with a quickfire 20 off 10 balls, which in turn was vital for RCB to securing a competitive total in their first home win of the season. The wicketkeeper-batter has been in fairly good form since joining RCB and has been helping with useful runs down the order. Jitesh has scored a total of 121 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 147.56.
