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"Maintained My Distance With Virat Kohli": RCB Star Jitesh Sharma's Honest Confession

Akshita Patel

Jitesh Sharma on his bond with Virat Kohli [Source: @Cricket_World45, @ishi_178/X.com]Jitesh Sharma on his bond with Virat Kohli [Source: @Cricket_World45, @ishi_178/X.com]

For Jitesh Sharma, life changed when he entered the RCB dressing room in IPL 2025. The small-town wicketkeeper-batter from Amravati suddenly shared space with Virat Kohli, a legend he had admired from afar. But even with all the excitement, Jitesh admits that he never dared to disturb Kohli outside of cricket talk.

Jitesh was picked for a whopping price of INR 11 crore by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 auction. While the signing was questioned by many, Jitesh proved himself, scoring 261 runs as a finisher, including an 85* run knock vs LSG.

Jitesh Sharma Opens Up On Bond With Virat Kohli

Apart from on-field heroics, Jitesh Sharma realised his dream of sharing a dressing room with legend Virat Kohli. However, he maintained his distance from Kohli not out of arrogance but out of respect.

In a recent interview with TOI, Jitesh revealed that he avoided intruding into Kohli’s personal space. His respect and humility come from his small-town background, where space and seniority are cherished highly.

"I come from a small town, where you give lots of respect to your seniors. You don't intrude in their personal space - For me, just talking to him is a big deal. I know Virat bhai’s stature, so I would try not to intrude on his personal space or bother him unnecessarily," Jitesh said.

While Kohli himself had publicly mentioned during IPL 2025 that he found Jitesh funny but reserved and wanted to see his raw side, the finisher admitted that he consciously maintained distance.

"I used to talk to him about cricket only. Out of respect I maintained my distance. I only wanted to have a meaningful conversation with him," he added.

While Kohli was curious about Jitesh’s personality, for Sharma, even that observation from his idol was overwhelming.

Jitesh Rewarded With Asia Cup Berth

After winning the IPL title with RCB in 2025, Jitesh Sharma was rewarded with the national call-up. He has been named as one of the two wicketkeepers in India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025, alongside Sanju Samson.

Though Sanju Samson is the probable first-choice keeper, Jitesh provides the team a good finisher, which adds to India's flexibility in the lower middle order.