"He told me to feel positive about by game" - Jitesh Sharma on valuable advice received from Shikhar Dhawan

Punjab Kings (PBKS) wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma showed in the IPL 2023 season that he had a lot more to his game than just being a dasher at the backend of the innings.

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan often sent Jitesh higher up the order and the latter responded brilliantly, playing some sensational cameos. The wicketkeeper-batter thrived and gained valuable experience under Dhawan's captaincy.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Jitesh Sharma explained how comfortable Shikhar Dhawan made him feel with his positivity and calmness. He said:

"He (Shikhar Dhawan) is like a guardian of the team. For him, players having the right attitude is more important than the number of runs that have been scored. He expects the players to be mentally present in the game and give their best, which is great. I used to ask him what should I do to score big and not just cameos. He told me to just feel positive about my game and back my skills. The positivity that he keeps around him is really good."

Sri Lankan big-hitter Bhanuka Rajapaksa also gave Jitesh Sharma some valuable advice on how he needs to stop putting the pressure of expectations on himself. On this, Jitesh added:

"Bhanuka Rajapaksa told me, 'If you're able to enjoy your performances even at the highest level, that's when you will be able to produce match-winning knocks. If you keep thinking about performances then you will remain under pressure.' So he too told me to enjoy the process and be patient."

---

Jitesh Sharma on batting coach Wasim Jaffer

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer is also the PBKS batting coach and Jitesh Sharma opened up about his lengthy discussions with the coach, which were aimed at taking his game to the next level.

Jitesh felt that since he was selected for the Indian team, he wanted to prove his mettle in IPL 2023. However, he spoke about how Jaffer advised him to not think too much about how his performances are seen and just focus on his natural game.

On this, Jitesh stated:

"Initially, I was about nervous as at the back of my mind I was thinking about how I would perform. I asked Wasim Bhai (Jaffer) what I need to do to prove my worth in the Indian team. He told me that I need not try and show it to anyone and advised me to be patient and enjoy my game and the pressure that comes with it."

The advice certainly seemed to work as Jitesh Sharma scored 309 runs in the season at a sensational strike rate of more than 156.