Team India wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma opened up on the prospect of playing under the captaincy of Virat Kohli in the next season of the Indian Premier League. Jitesh hit the pay dirt in the IPL 2025 auction and was signed for a whopping INR 11 crore by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The wicketkeeper batter was in big demand during the mega auction, and RCB went after him, all guns blazing, to fill in the shoes of Dinesh Karthik, who announced his retirement after last season and re-joined the side as the mentor.

The speculations are rife that Kohli might take over the captaincy charge of RCB once again after they didn't sign any high-profile Indian star in the auction. The franchise has yet to announce its final decision on next season's skipper.

Jitesh, who played for Punjab Kings last season, has expressed his excitement about playing under Kohli in case the latter decides to take over the captaincy charge.

"It will be great to play under Virat Kohli. I would love to play under him because he is so energetic and enthusiastic—it can push my limits. A person who is always involved in the game can inspire me to push my game further. think I’ll try to learn from Kohli’s consistency and how he has kept himself fit and motivated over all these years," Sharma said in an interview with the Times of India.

‘I am thankful to God that I went to RCB’: Jitesh Sharma

Jitesh attracted the attention of five franchises in the mega auction as his former team Punjab Kings also hit the RTM card on him but RCB accepted their final bid for INR 11 crore to sign him.

He made his IPL debut in 2022 for Punjab Kings and spent three seasons there playing the finisher's role. He made 730 runs in 40 matches for PBKS at an average of 22.81, at a strike rate of over 151.14.

The wicketkeeper is grateful to join RCB as he feels it's a perfect team for him to play freely and express himself.

"I wasn’t expecting anything from the auction. I was just hoping and praying to join a good team where I could play freely and express myself. I am incredibly grateful and thankful to God that I went to RCB—it feels like the perfect team for me," Jitesh Sharma added.

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