NEW DELHI: Jitesh Sharma admits his exclusion from India’s men’s T20 World Cup squad was disappointing, but the setback soon felt insignificant compared to the personal loss he suffered soon after.
The wicketkeeper-batsman lost his father, Mohan Sharma, on February 1 after a brief illness, a moment that changed his perspective on everything.“When I learned the news of not being selected, I felt a little disappointed. I am also a human being. I can feel sad and bad. But later, as time passed, the sad time became short,” Gitesh told PTI during an exclusive interview.
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The disappointment of missing out on the World Series quickly gave way to a much deeper emotional challenge.
“But later, my father fell ill. He died on February 1. So, I was with him for seven days. After that, I knew that my father needed me more than the World Cup. After that, I didn’t have any feeling of sadness or any remorse or anything for anyone or for myself either. I’m not angry or anything,” he said, sadness evident in his voice.“I was grateful that God gave me the opportunity to stay with my father for seven days. So, I was able to take care of him.
I enjoyed watching the World Cup on TV at home. It’s a completely different feeling. It gives you a lot of pressure instead of playing. “I was very happy for the boys.”With his father gone, the responsibility of being the eldest son became a defining part of his life.“I can’t forget that thing and I don’t want to forget that thing because it’s no longer there. When you lose your father, after a few days you will know that you are now responsible for making decisions in your family as the eldest son.“And that’s what it’s all about – to take care of your mother, your brother and your family. So, I’m someone who can’t show my feelings to them and I can’t be vulnerable in front of them because they look at me while playing cricket as well. And I have to accept that,” said Jitesh while thinking about how life sometimes faces its toughest challenges.He admits that sadness does not come all at once, but rather settles gradually, leaving behind a permanent void.“It comes after some time. I’m not dealing with anything. I’m just accepting that my father’s not there anymore. There’s a part of my heart that’s empty now. It will be empty until I die because of my father.”However, cricket has also taught him resilience, which has helped him move forward despite the pain.“And I learned to bear this sadness and this emptiness during training. Because no matter how much I want, I can’t forget this thing.
Because he’s your father, right? He is my hero in my life.”“If he were alive today, he would have asked me to go and train. Don’t worry about me. So I always keep that thing in my mind: If I was feeling sad or in pain, what would he say to me? I think he would suggest I go and play the game. I’m very proud of that.”Gitesh also drew parallels with his Indian teammate Rinku Singh, saying he understands the emotional strength required to get back on the field after personal setbacks.“This is the same thing that Rinko felt. That’s why he was able to come down to Earth again. And it’s something very big.”“Why can’t three guards play together?”On the cricket front, Gitesh remains realistic about his team line-ups. With wicket-keeping batsmen like Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan also in contention, he said he would be happy to adapt to any role if it helps the team.“I think about it from a different perspective. I take it from a different perspective – that by doing my own thing, why not have two goalkeepers in the starting lineup and the third one playing as a striker? Exactly, that could happen too. Why not?”Learn from Virat KohliGitesh also spoke about the inspiration he draws from watching Virat Kohli up close at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, admitting that matching the former India skipper’s strength is not easy.“Just observing the little things, you can learn a lot. It can be a life-changing decision or a life-changing observation. Because the way he prepares, starts his day, not just training, I think is very impressive. However, I’m 32 and I can’t keep up with his energy.”