Wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma on Saturday said being the vice-captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the whole leadership experience has added a certain edge to his game. Jitesh was a vital cog in RCB’s wheel when they landed their maiden IPL title in 2025, scoring 261 runs down the order but his strike-rate of 177 often spurred the team to above par totals. “I think whenever you get the responsibility, you feel grateful and privileged and I take extra effort to give something to my team … how can I contribute to RCB,” said Jitesh on the eve of the match against Chennai Super Kings.
“I think that gives you an extra responsibility when you are vice-captain of the team,” he added.
Perhaps, his effort to get better against pace bowling was a part of that thinking.
“I am working against fast bowlers. I think as a player, there is always scope (to improve). No one is perfect in this world. I think improving is the key for every successful player,” he said.
The 32-year-old said the tag of defending champions has not changed RCB’s mindset, as they are entering the field with the same hunger as last year.
“Irrelevant, Frankly speaking. Mo Bobat, our director, clearly said we are not defending (the title). We are chasing the title. We are hungry like we were last year. Lots of people have forgotten that we are champions.
“This is a new season. We have to start a new game and take one game at a time. But we have that confidence that we have achieved something. With that confidence, we are just going forward,” he noted.
RCB had a week-long break after their opening IPL 2026 game on March 28, and Jitesh said the extended gap has not affected the team’s intensity.
“First day (after the match against SRH) we took a break – swimming, gym, everything. The next day we played a very high intensity practice game. We tried to create some pressure situations for all the players. What worst situation can come in front of you, you don’t know.
“We just tried to replicate whatever can come in front of you. We were tactically and intelligently trying to replicate everything we have done in practice games. So, we are very close to that intensity. So, we are not thinking that our team has a 7-day break. Or a 5-day break. We are training at a high intensity,” he explained.
Chennai Super Kings crashed to two defeats in as many matches, but Jitesh did not read too much into that.
“We are just focussing on our own process rather than thinking about what they (CSK) have done in the last one week. You cannot judge it like that. It’s all about the day. It can be anyone’s day. A player can score runs or can take a fifer. That’s the T20’s beauty,” he said.
Jitesh did not reveal much about the fitness of Josh Hazlewood, who had a light net session here on Saturday evening.
“Right now, I don’t have any idea about it. Frankly speaking, I think management will give you the right answer,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
IPL 2026: One Trophy, Ten Teams – Who Writes History?