No space in Vidarbha? RCB teammate opens Baroda gate for Jitesh Sharma

You’ve surely seen that Jitesh Sharma video where he is being denied entry into the Lord's stadium and Dinesh Karthik comes to his rescue.

But turns out, that’s not the only reason he’s been trending lately. Why? Because the wicketkeeper-batter is about to wear new colours — he’s moving from Vidarbha to Baroda in the upcoming domestic season!

But why did he make this move?

First off, he didn’t play a single game during the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. Not because of form, but because of Akshay Wadkar. Wadkar is not only Vidarbha’s captain but also their primary wicketkeeper. So in that setup, Jitesh, being the first-choice keeper, was always going to be a long shot.

But that’s not the only factor. Jitesh shares a great rapport with Baroda skipper Krunal Pandya, who also happens to be his teammate at RCB in the IPL. And from what we hear, Krunal played a big role in helping him make this switch.

So when your Ranji seat is already taken and your IPL buddy says, “Come on over, bro,” — the decision kind of writes itself, doesn’t it?

And honestly, this could be the plot twist his red-ball career was waiting for. Because even after playing for Vidarbha for nearly 10 years, Jitesh has only featured in 18 first-class games.

But now? New state. Fresh start. Bigger opportunities.

Jitesh made his T20I debut for India during the Asian Games in October 2023 and has since then gone on to play 9 T20Is. Despite making his name in the IPL while playing for the Punjab Kings earlier, Jitesh's breakthrough season came with the RCB last year. He not only stood in as captain when Rajat Patidar was injured, but also played a super knock of 85 not out against LSG, which helped the Royal Challengers finish in the top 2.

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