Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star Jitesh Sharma faced a delicate situation when he confronted RCB legend AB de Villiers in an online discussion. Former South Africa and RCB player AB de Villiers put forward a clear position to Sharma.
In the upcoming Indian Premier League season, Jitesh Sharma will play a key role in the team’s title defence. Last season, when Bengaluru team won its first IPL trophy, Jitesh Sharma emerged as one of the main catalysts. In IPL 2026, when RCB will try to defend their title, fans will be hoping to see Sharma play a key role.
What will happen if Jitesh Sharma goes against Jasprit Bumrah in slog overs?
Like many budding cricketers, Jitesh also likes to hit the ball hard. He is expected to be seen in the role of a finisher, where he will have to score important runs in a limited number of balls and maintain a healthy strike rate.
How will Jitesh Sharma score runs at a fast pace in the death overs, if the bowler is Mumbai Indians (MI) fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah? AB de Villiers created hurdles for the RCB keeper-batsman.
Sharma wants to think ahead of Bumrah
Sharma said that if he has to go up against Jasprit Bumrah, he will try to prepare himself with a plan, considering what the fast bowler can do next. To beat Bumrah, the batsman would like to use the crease as much as possible.
Jitesh Sharma said, “If Bumrah is bowling, I know he mostly depends on his bouncers and he is a very smart bowler. He can deceive you all the time. I think playing with the ground, I think that would be the best option. And be ready for two balls. Don’t concentrate on just one ball. He is going for the yorkers. Playing with the ground, it will be important for me to use my crease at that time.”
RCB batsman said what will he do if Bumrah bowls a yorker
“Whenever the discussion is around Bumrah, batsmen have to think about the toe-break yorker. Sharma also mentioned this. To counter the yorker, which may be on the off stump, the batsman thinks about lofting it over square leg or fine leg.”
“First ball, I think he will bowl his best ball. So, I can prepare for the yorker. If square leg is up, I can think of showing him my leg stomp and going to square leg or fine leg. That’s what I thought at that time,” said the RCB star.
What will the bowler do if he pitches the ball near the yorker length on the next ball? “So, I can be ready for it. I can think beyond that. I will keep thinking like this,” Sharma immediately replied.
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