Jitesh Sharma, a batsman and wicketkeeper who was left off the team prior to the series, paid a special visit to his hometown of Nagpur to meet and congratulate the team. As the hosts settle into their Nagpur hotel for the series opener, the Men in Blue’s training sessions are humming with excitement ahead of Wednesday’s first Twenty20 International match against New Zealand.
The Amravati native was spotted approaching his former Rajasthan Royals teammate Sanju Samson and giving him a passionate embrace in pictures that have been doing the rounds on social media. As they welcomed one another, the two were spotted laughing. The 32-year-old also got to know skipper Suryakumar Yadav and other teammates.
View the video by clicking this link.
Jitesh Sharma came to visit Team India in Nagpur, and Sanju Samson went up and hugged him 🫂❤️
Jitesh was snubbed from the squad, and no one understands that feeling better than Sanju, who has gone through such phases so many times himself pic.twitter.com/VJfXZONTE4
— Sanju Samson Fans Page (@SanjuSamsonFP) January 19, 2026
Before the series began, a number of important players, including Samson, captain Suryakumar, Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh, and Ravi Bishnoi, went on a jungle safari to Pench Tiger Reserve to unwind and laugh together.
Since this series would be their final assignment prior to the major event, India will try to gain momentum in the first match on Wednesday. The team has already arrived in Jamtha’s Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium and is getting ready for the first match.
Following a humiliating 2-1 loss to the visitors in the ODI series, the Men in Blue will try to recover.
I was unaware of what I had left out: Jitesh Sharma dismissal from the T20 team
Jitesh Sharma, who scored game-winning runs for RCB in the IPL 2025, discussed his exclusion from India’s T20 squad prior to the five-match series and the ensuing T20 World Cup 2026 in an exclusive interview with CricTracker earlier this month. He claimed that the selectors had not told him about it.
“Until the squad was named, I was unaware that I had been left out. Following that, I concurred with the selectors’ explanation during the news conference; it was a good one. I later spoke with the coaches and selectors, and I thought their justifications were reasonable. He stated, “I agreed with them and fully understood what they were trying to explain to me.”
The 32-year-old, who has primarily batted in the final overs of 16 T20I matches for India, has amassed 162 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 151.4.
India
