'In India, everything starts after MS Dhoni' - Jitesh Sharma hails former India skipper's influence on budding wicket-keepers

Not just the wicket-keepers of the Indian setup, Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant, but almost every up-and-coming wicketkeeper idolizes former India skipper MS Dhoni for his tremendously quick and precise glovework. And so is the case with Vidarbha wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma, who recently found a place in India’s T20I squad as a replacement for the injured Sanju Samson.

Even after leaving the game of international cricket, Dhoni remains among the best in the industry in that regard. His glovework and presence of mind behind the stumps will remain unmatched, making him one of the finest wicketkeeper-batters of all time. Jitesh revealed how veterans like AB de Villiers and Rohit Sharma had a major influence on his development as a dangerous batter. But he asserted that Dhoni was the only person he looked up to, to improve his glovework.

“In India, everything starts after MS Dhoni, so there's no need to even say how inspiring he has been for every cricketer including me. He has always been so incredible with his glovework,” Jitesh told Sports Yaari.

I try and watch his videos to understand how he handles pressure: Jitesh

Jitesh Sharma has proven to be a dependable finisher in addition to being an aggressive hitter for Vidarbha and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) during his debut IPL season last year. Jitesh keeps watching recordings of the former Indian captain finishing games to study how he deals with pressure because Dhoni remains to be one of the best finishers to ever play the game.

“In my off-time, I try and watch his videos to understand how he handles pressure, takes the game deep or targets particular bowlers. By God's grace if I get a chance to interact with him in person, will definitely try to learn a lot more from him,” he added.

Team India is currently hosting Sri Lanka for a three-match T20I series, which will be followed by a three-match ODI series. Sanju Samson sustained an injury during the first game, as a result of which he had to stay back in Mumbai for scans when the team left for Pune. He was eventually ruled out of the remainder of the series and Jitesh was named a replacement.

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