'This year, I am playing with emotions' - Jitesh Sharma on taking it personally for RCB in IPL 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been having a terrific run at their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign, having already qualified for the Playoffs with a couple of league stage games still to go. Apart from stars like Virat Kohli and Josh Hazlewood, another key contributor in RCB's successful campaign in the ongoing tournament has been in the form of wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma.

Jitesh, who is playing his debut season with the Bengaluru-based franchise, has said that his association with the side feels personal to him. Ahead of the tournament, Jitesh played a game in Alur (30 kms off Bangalore) during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, while he had just been picked by the franchise at the mega auctions. Jitesh said people recognized him in Alur, only for his RCB connection, which has inspired the Vidarbha cricketer to do well for RCB.

“This year, I am playing with emotions. We know that there is winning and losing & we are mentally ready; we don't let it hurt. But this time, I am taking it personally for RCB. When I saw first time, I was playing Syed Mushtaq in Alur, people were standing there, and there were lots of big players also there, they were playing the game. When they were batting, no one did anything; they were calm. Just as I came to bat, people shouted ‘Jitesh, RCB, RCB’, that moment hit me,” Jitesh said on RCB podcast alongside Mayanti Langer.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru@RCBTweets

𝗝𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮: 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲, 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 Jitesh talks about his cricket, mindset, equation with Rajat, discussions with Virat, and more on @bigbasket_com presents RCB Podcast Bold and Beyond. 🎬 Here’s a sneak peek. Full episode dropping soon… 🎙️

09:11 AM · May 21, 2025

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Jitesh talks about Virat Kohli

Jitesh also mentioned the contribution of Virat Kohli towards his performances, while bringing up a conversation he had with the RCB's icon batter. The 31-year-old stumper-batter opened up on the tips he received from Virat that helped him change his mindset towards the game. 

“That person (Virat Kohli)  is full of energy, and still, he knows how to play his game. Then he said, sometimes you naturally feel before going for the match that ‘this is not my day’. So somehow you have to manage your energy in batting, you are not hitting the ball well, so come to zero again, think about running hard, trying to middle the ball. These small tricks he has taught me...calm your nerves, think about the game and take a decision,” Jitesh added.