Jitesh Sharma loves being the "yes" guy. Will you open the batting for us, Jitesh? Yes. Will you bat in the middle order and play the finisher's role? Yes. Will you captain the side? Yes. Will you become the team's 360 player? Yes.
It's this inclination to put his hand up and his desire to upskill himself and expand his repertoire that has turned Jitesh from being just another wicketkeeper-batter to one of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's most reliable finishers.
When he grew up in Amravati in northern Maharashtra, cricket wasn't Jitesh's first love. He wanted to become an Indian Air Force pilot, to the point that he even prepared for his defence exams, but slowly, the sport took over.
Good things take time and that's particularly true in Jitesh's case. He made his T20 and List A debuts at the age of 20, for Vidarbha in 2014, but it took him another eight years to play his first IPL game, for Punjab Kings.
In between, he moved around in the batting order, and it was only when his Vidarbha coach, Pritam Gandhe, asked him to become a finisher that he found a second wind. He was picked up by PBKS ahead of the 2022 IPL, and his finishing prowess and reliable wicketkeeping immediately caught the attention of other franchises and fans.
"The thing that has been very good in me is curiosity," Jitesh says. "That has brought me to where I am now. And the 'yes, yes, yes' attitude. I have opened, batted in the middle order. Sometimes I opened in the Ranji Trophy. Sometimes the coaches told me to bat in the middle order. Every time I said yes, because I don't run away from a challenge.
"And the other thing is that I used to be curious and experiment a lot. What if I bat in this manner, what will happen? What will happen if I change my grip? I would constantly ask myself questions and that never let me get demotivated. I would constantly try out different things. Until 2022, I played the same way, but now in these last three years, people are seeing those innovative shots; they are seeing that I am reading the game better. The curiosity has kept me alive."
After eight years of the grind, Jitesh's fortunes have turned around in the last four. He had three successful seasons at PBKS, made his India debut in between, and switched domestic teams from Vidarbha to Baroda. But it was his move to RCB, who procured his services for a whopping Rs 11 crore (about US$ 1.31 million) last season, that brought Jitesh into the spotlight. In his first season there, the team ended their 17-year-wait for a maiden IPL title.
What makes RCB so special? "Unhone 11 crore diye hain na, isliye special hain" [They gave me Rs 11 crore, that's why they are special] Jitesh jokes before moving to a more serious answer. "RCB treats every person - it doesn't matter if they are ball boys or net bowlers - with respect and equality.
"Mo Bobat, Andy Flower, Dinesh Karthik... when all good people get together as a unit, then the team automatically becomes great, and that's what has happened at RCB. That's why this team is very special to me. I am able to find out my real potential because of this management. In RCB, there is an extra responsibility. It's a big name, a big brand. Whatever you do here, you do it after putting in a lot of thought."
At PBKS, Jitesh was a finisher, but at RCB, he went to the next level, by becoming their 360-degree batter. He had a sensational 2025 IPL in that role, scoring 261 runs in 11 innings at 37.28 and a strike rate of 176.35, which rose to 188.52 in the death overs (17-20).
Jitesh credits mentor Karthik - or Dinesh anna as he calls him - for recognising that he had these shots in his armoury and helping in nurturing them.
"He [Karthik] felt I always had those shots but I didn't know how to use them. I told him that I have never played these shots, but if you teach me, I will learn. The same thing which I said, 'yes attitude'. I told him, yes, I will learn. Sometimes you become stubborn: I will only hit straight, I have played in the IPL this way and succeeded. But I said yes to him.
"I worked with him a lot, discussing the different shots, what are the areas I can target, the things that can be useful, the key points to execute the shots. I think those things helped me learn and understand these new shots."
Were there any challenges and second thoughts? "Whenever you learn something new, there are challenges," Jitesh says. "Sometimes you get hit on the ribs, sometimes you get beaten, sometimes you don't understand the shots you are playing.
"There were times when, if someone had seen me batting from afar, they would feel an Under-16 kid was batting. It was so new for me. But working towards it with total dedication, with pure intent, helped me learn things quickly.
"I have never had second thoughts about playing these shots. I think people have admired me - they have given me so much respect because even in a pressure situation, if the ball falls in my range, I hit it, whether it's the first or the third [delivery of the over]. I think that's my identity now. And I will try to maintain that."
That willingness was on display multiple times last season, never more than during his unbeaten 85 off 33 balls against Lucknow Supergiants, widely regarded as the best innings of the 2025 IPL. RCB were chasing 228 and had just lost a set Virat Kohli when Jitesh walked out and whipped his first ball, off fast bowler Avesh Khan, through midwicket for four. RCB ended up winning the game with eight balls to spare, giving them direct entry into the first qualifier.
Jitesh amazed himself with some of the shots he executed during that game, and while that innings gave him a lot of confidence, he still feels he has a lot to improve on, in his range-hitting, in particular.
"I still feel that I am not hitting the sixes that well, that cleanly," he says. "I keep watching the batting of big hitters, how well they hit sixes, how well they bat in control. Dinesh anna and I practise on how we can be 2% better than last year. I want to see more development and clean batting from my end."
In his first year Jitesh was already part of the RCB leadership group and captained the side in two games when regular skipper Rajat Patidar was injured. He says he enjoys the extra responsibility, which also reflects in his numbers. In the 13 T20s in which he has captained, he averages 57.28 and strikes at 213.29 versus his career average of 27.74 and strike rate of 153.99.
"I think I love the pressure. I feel like I am the main man [when I am captain] and I am answerable to the people, so I have to do the job and earn that respect. I think this responsibility just activates my brain cells. I think that's natural."
Jitesh also feels his equation with captain Patidar is another major reason behind RCB doing well. Both come from off-mainstream places, cricket-wise - Jitesh from Amravati, Patidar from Madhya Pradesh - and have common interests, which makes the bond stronger.
"There are some people you meet and you feel like you have known them for a long time. That's the kind of feeling I got with him," Jitesh says about Patidar. "We are very good friends. We both drink tea a lot, we belong to small towns, and we talk a lot. Sometimes you just naturally align with each other. The frequency matches automatically, you don't have to force anything."
The two see eye to eye on most things, but Jitesh hasn't yet convinced Patidar to indulge in one of his favourite luxuries. "I have grown tired of asking him to buy at least one good watch, but he doesn't listen to me. I am very fond of watches."
While Jitesh the batter is a fan favourite, his keeping remains an equally important asset to RCB. He says that skill comes naturally to him. One area he focuses on, even while practising, is DRS.
"Since DRS has come, I do a small exercise on where the ball is pitching. Every ball I keep asking myself: is that pitching middle, is that pitching off? That helps in DRS. Because sometimes that one decision can turn the game around. And this has happened earlier when I have taken one or two DRS [reviews] and the game has changed. So I think [during those] 120 balls, you keep asking yourself where the ball has pitched and where it has to go."
In the last three years Jitesh has captained two IPL teams, made his India debut, and been part of an IPL-winning team. He still harbours hopes of getting a commercial pilot's licence once he is done with cricket, but for now, he has a title to defend, runs to score, and more watches to collect.