But, for some reason, Jitesh was sidelined as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) picked the India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. While Jitesh refrained from sharing an immediate reaction on social media, he claimed that there was no prior communication from the selectors about his snub.
In a chat with CricTracker, the wicket-keeper batter revealed that he was heartbroken seeing his name not being included in the squad. It was only when Ajit Agarkar, the selection committee chief, explained the reason behind the changes in the squad, did Jitesh come to know what had happened.
“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.”
Along with Jitesh, the selection committee also left out Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill from the team while handing returns to Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan. Jitesh said that he spoke to former India and RCB star Dinesh Karthik to help himself move on.
“It was heartbreaking, as I had worked very hard to play in the ICC T20 World Cup. But that is 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,” Jitesh said.
All is not over for Jitesh yet, though the selectors’ decision to have an opening batter as wicket-keeper does make the situation tricky for him.