New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Former India opener Aakash Chopra has backed wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma to feature in the side’s playing eleven in the upcoming Asia Cup, citing his improved numbers and high strike rate.

Jitesh, who’s played nine T20Is for India so far, was one of the vital cogs in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning IPL 2025 by scoring 261 runs at a blistering strike-rate of 176 as their designated finisher. Those performances helped him get back into India’s T20I squad for the Asia Cup, set to happen in the UAE from September 9-28.

“I feel Jitesh Sharma will play in the eleven in Asia Cup. We shouldn’t think too much about positions first to third because he won’t get a chance there. However, his numbers at numbers four to seven have become a lot better.

“He has a strike rate of 166 and an average of 28. He is the first batter whose strike rate is above 150. So when the pecking order is prepared, he will go right at the top. Jitesh Sharma’s numbers have looked the best amongst everyone else. He is shining bright and seems to be at number one. I really hope he has a good Asia Cup,” said Chopra on his Youtube channel on Monday.

With Jitesh coming in and Shubman Gill being made T20I vice-captain, Sanju Samson’s position in the starting eleven is uncertain and Chopra felt his numbers go down as the batting order number progress. “Sanju Samson is the first contender because he played the last series. He has struck three centuries in the last 12 matches. He is also part of the team at the moment.”

“So, of course, he will be the first guy to talk about. If we look at his numbers at one to three in all T20s, he has scored more than 6000 runs at a strike rate of 140 and an average of 33, which are really good numbers. So Sanju Samson is a real contender if you want a keeper in the top three.

“But when I look at his numbers from numbers four to seven, he has played 98 matches with an average of 20 and a strike rate of 126. Neither the strike rate nor the average looks very good there. You would keep Sanju as a frontrunner at the top, but suddenly, when you change his batting number, he goes down in the list,” he added.

Jitesh’s entry also meant Dhruv Jurel was demoted to the stand-by players list and Chopra described him as a promising middle order batter who’s still far from being a finished product.

“He is also a work in progress. I won’t say that he is a finished product, but I have a lot of time for Dhruv Jurel because he is a good cricketer. He has the might, and talent to bat at that number, and that’s the thought process behind the Indian team management keeping him as a part of the standbys.”

Chopra signed off by quipping Rishabh Pant should remain firmly in consideration ahead of the T20 World Cup. Pant had been a member of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup winning team, but with Samson and Jitesh performing well, he’s gone down the reckoning.

Moreover, Pant is recovering from a fractured right foot suffered in the fourth Test against England at Manchester in July. “I think we should keep Rishabh Pant in mind. There are still 15 T20I’s left after the Asia Cup and a whole lot of things change in that time. Maybe names of Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal will come, so you should start considering Rishabh Pant.

“The number you have to bat at, you need someone who can finish things off, and can strike very hard. Again, there is an unfulfilled and unrealised potential in T20s, but Rishabh has that talent no?”

–IANS

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