Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Jitesh Sharma was one of the notable absentees from India’s T20 World Cup squad 2026. The wicketkeeper-batsman was overlooked for the main event and the previous five-match T20I home series against New Zealand.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player’s upset came as a surprise to many fans as he was India’s first-choice wicket-keeper in the recently concluded five-match T20I series against South Africa.
Apart from Jitesh, Shubman Gill he was also dropped from the squad for the ICC event. While the two missed out, batsman Ishan Kishan and batsman Rinku Singh returned to the T20I squad.
Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead the game in the T20 World Cup 2026, with an all-rounder Axar Patel acting as his deputy. India’s campaign will begin against the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7.
Here, we take a look at three reasons why dropping Jitesh Sharma from the T20 World Cup 2026 was a wrong move by India.
#1 Jitesh Sharma’s impressive record as a finalist
Jitesh Sharma he has done a good job in the death of RCB in the Indian Premier League. He played a key role in their title-winning campaign earlier this year, scoring 261 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 176.35.
The right-handed batsman hasn’t done much harm in international cricket either. He has 162 runs to his name from 12 T20I innings at a strike rate of 151.40.
Jitesh’s attacking ability right from the start makes him one of the top ranked in the country. He would have been a valuable addition to the squad, especially with the 2026 T20 World Cup slated for India and Sri Lanka.
#2 Rinku Singh did not look his best in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26
With Jitesh Sharma omitted from the squad, Rinku Singh has become the favorite for the runner-up spot. However, the left-hander was not in good form during the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26.
The Uttar Pradesh batsman finished with 172 runs from seven outings at a strike rate of 135.43. Moreover, it also failed to live up to the expectations of the fans in IPL 2025.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) amassed 206 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 153.73. Remarkably, he did not find a place in the home series against South Africa.
#3 360 Degree Stroke Game by Jitesh Sharma
Jitesh Sharma is one of the Indian players with ability to play attacks in all corners of the ground. From game-changing hits to ground-breaking firsts, he has a wide range of features in his repertoire.
It would have been useful towards the end of the innings to counter the field. He has shown how well he can execute unorthodox strokes in the IPL.
The hard-hitting batsman showed his mettle with a splendid match-winning knock against Lucknow Supergiants in the last league match. His unbeaten knock of 85 runs off just 35 balls helped RCB chase down a mammoth target of 228 runs in 18.4 overs with six wickets in hand.
Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai
