IND v SL 2023: Jitesh Sharma to join Team India for remainder of Sri Lanka T20I series

The second T20I will be played in Pune on Jan 5 and third T20I will be played in Rajkot on Jan 7.

Vidarbha keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has earned his maiden call-up to the Indian team for the remainder of the ongoing Sri Lanka T20I series. India is leading the three-match series 1-0 after a 2-run win in the first match in Mumbai.

Jitesh has played 16 FC matches, and 47 List-A matches for Vidarbha, apart from 76 T20s including 12 IPL matches as well.

He has been called to join the squad after Kerala's Sanju Samson hurt his knee in the first T20I in Mumbai and reportedly stayed back instead of traveling to Pune for the second game, in order to get his injury checked out, and has now been ruled out of remainder of the T20I series.

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Samson had scored 5 runs in the first match and hurt his knee when he tried to slide in order to stop the ball, but his joint got stuck in the mud and he took a tumble.

Now the BCCI has included Jitesh Sharma in the Indian squad which was only left with Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper.

Jitesh played in IPL 2022 and scored 234 runs at a strike rate of 163.64 hitting 12 sixes and 22 fours as a finisher for Punjab Kings. He also has 1787 runs in 76 T20 matches with a best of 106 and a strike rate of 147.93.

The second T20I will be played in Pune on January 5 and the third and last match will be played in Rajkot on January 7.