Indian wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma has broken silence after being left out of the T20 World Cup squad. Sharma had performed decently in T20Is but he was unlucky to miss out in the World Cup squad. The 32-year-old has scored 162 runs in 16 T20I matches at a strike rate of 151.41 and had added the finishing touches while batting down the order.

However, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel picked Ishan Kishan in the squad as a backup wicket-keeper as he can also open the innings. Kishan scored 517 runs in 10 matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and led Jharkhand to the tournament’s glory.

Jitesh Sharma said in an interview with Crictracker, “It was heartbreaking, as I had worked very hard to play in the ICC T20 World Cup. But that’s destiny, I can’t deny it. At that moment, I was numb and couldn’t process anything. Spending time with my family and talking to Dinesh Karthik helped me move forward.”

Sharma revealed that he wasn’t aware about his exclusion until the squad was announced by the selectors. However, the wicket-keeper bat agreed with the selectors’ explanation in the presser.

“I wasn’t aware of my omission until the squad was announced. After that, I agreed with the explanation given by the selectors in the press conference; it was a valid reason. Later, I had discussions with the coaches and selectors, and I felt their reasoning was fair. I completely understood what they wanted to explain to me, and I agreed with it,” said Jitesh (via the aforementioned source).

Sharma would look to bounce back stronger in the upcoming IPL 2026 season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.