Jitesh Sharma secured his maiden call-up for India as Sanju Samson sidelined with an injury

In a build-up to the second T20I between India and Sri Lanka, Sanju Samson copped an unfortunate knee injury that has ruled him out for the remainder of the series. In a surprise replacement, the Indian think tank has chosen to replace Samson with Jitesh Sharma for the two remaining T20Is of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka.

The mishap happened while Samson was fielding near the boundary in the opener at Wankhede as he tumbled to thwart a ball, taking the entire brunt of the fall on his knee. He had a questionable outing with the bat in the series opener and his fielding wasn’t great either. Even though he attempted an absolute stunner of a catch, his overall attributes were pretty forgettable.

So so happy for @jiteshsharma_ .. totally deserved it. Have seen him working so hard for this .. way to go Jitttttttuuu 🤗🤗

— Ishan Yadav Mahal (@BeingIshanCric) January 4, 2023

Find the updated squad of India

BCCI’s official statement read, “Team India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson has been ruled out of the remainder of the 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Samson hurt his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during the 1st T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He was taken for scans and a specialist opinion this afternoon in Mumbai by the BCCI Medical Team and has been advised rest and rehabilitation.”

Jitesh Sharma bagged his maiden call-up to the Indian squad for his impressive display in the precursor edition of the IPL for Punjab Kings. The budding wicket-keeper managed to score 234 runs from just 12 matches at a decent average of 29.25. He was also impressive in the domestic arcade, plying his trade for Central Zone, Vidarbha and Mumbai Indians.

Team India will be meeting the hallowed likes of Sri Lanka at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium for the second T20I with the series in sight after a thrilling win in the opener, thanks to a collaborative effort of Axar Patel, Deepak Hooda and Shivam Mavi.

India’s revised squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.