Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma sees Suryakumar Yadav as one of his inspirations, drawing parallels with the Mumbai star’s late debut for India and his elevation to the T20I captaincy role.

Akin to Surya, who made his international debut at the age of 30 in 2021, Jitesh spent seasons grinding it out on the domestic circuit before finally earning his place in the national team.

On the other hand, Jitesh was 29 when he made his India debut at the Asian Games in 2023. He has played 9 T20Is so far and has now been included in the upcoming Asia Cup squad.

"Surya bhai is an inspiration for so many people. He made his international debut at 31. It gives lots of hope for all the late bloomers. He is one of the best T20I batters in the world. He can manipulate the field, he can tear apart any bowling attack," Jitesh said in an exclusive chat with TOI.

Jitesh hails Surya as a “storehouse of talent” and shares how he constantly tries to learn from the Indian T20I skipper.

"Woh talent ke bhandaar hai, mai unse seekhne ki koshish karta rehta hoon, unko copy karne ki koshish karta hoon (He is a storehouse of talent; I keep trying to learn from him and often try to emulate him). I used to copy him a lot. But now I have started to execute the shots as well. Ek Supla aaya IPL final mey (I managed to hit one Surya special in the IPL final)," he added.

It remains to be seen whether Jitesh Sharma features in India’s Asia Cup XI as a wicketkeeper-batter or not. He will be competing with Sanju Samson for the same role.

The Men in Blue will open their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against UAE on September 10 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.