RCB wicketkeeper batsman Jitesh Sharma played a ‘this or that’ challenge to choose the world’s best wicketkeeper and his choice was not the great MS Dhoni. He started with one name and stuck to it firmly till the end.
IPL 2026 is knocking at the door, and all the franchises are likely to call their players by this week to fine-tune team strategies and finalize a playing XI for the first part of the tournament, which has been announced so far.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will have wicketkeeper batsman Jitesh Sharma, who is also their vice-captain and was seen leading the defending champions on a few occasions when Rajat Patidar was not available to play. He played a huge role in RCB’s first IPL win.
Jitesh Sharma chose Adam Gilchrist as the best wicketkeeper of all time instead of MS Dhoni.
The ‘this or that’ challenge has been a common practice in recent times, and RCB wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma adopted a similar approach to choose the best wicketkeeper in the world. However, they already knew who to choose before the game even started.
The round started with players like Brendon McCullum and Kumar Sangakkara picking the Lankan legend. However, surprisingly, he described KL Rahul as a better keeper than the great Sri Lankan keeper-batsman.
He then chose Rishabh Pant and finally found the name he was looking for. His choices were South African legend Mark Boucher, his RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik, former Indian captain MS Dhoni, RCB legend AB de Villiers and finally himself Adam Gilchrist.
In this edition of ‘This or That’ only one name had Jitesh .
Find out which keeper he stuck with till the end on RCB Shorts presented by EmmyV. #playbold #নমমRCB pic.twitter.com/E6Rx6X6oJl
– Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) 14 March 2026
I am very thrilled with him-RCB wicketkeeper reveals his icon ahead of IPL 2026
The young Indian keeper appears to be highly inspired by the great Australian, who will always remain one of the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen to have played the game of cricket, not just based on statistics but for those who have seen him play.
Before Adam Gilchrist, as Jitesh rightly said, the world had either seen wicketkeepers batting part-time or batsmen doing part-time wicketkeeping; He was the one who made his mark as a wicket-keeper batsman.
“I think he was the keeper who showed the importance of keeping and the fact that a keeper plays aggressive shots. He changed an era in that direction at that time, which is why I am very attracted to him. I am a big fan of his batting and the way he keeps and I feel very happy when I sit alone and watch him play,” the wicketkeeper said.
Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, or Jitesh Sharma: Wicketkeepers to watch out for in IPL 2026
This IPL 2026 could be the explosive edition for the wicket-keeper batsmen. Sanju Samson will get a new franchise and a new role in the CSK jersey, and with all the form from the T20 World Cup and the love from the people of Chennai, the batsman is expected to be on fire.
On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad will have another Indian T20 World Cup hero Ishan Kishan. They will have their finishing wicketkeeper batsman Jitesh Sharma, while Rajasthan Royals keeper Dhruv Jurel will be looking to cement his place in Team India with his latest performances.
Among other notable names, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will also be crucial for their teams’ campaign as they look to cement their place in the Indian white-ball setup.
Also read: After T20 World Cup win, Sanju Samson indirectly took a dig at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
