'Just talking to him is a big deal' - RCB star opens up on dynamics with Virat Kohli

Published - 03 Sept 2025, 16:50 IST | Updated - 03 Sept 2025, 17:00 IST

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)'s star wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma recently shared how his relationship with Virat Kohli was like while representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the previous instalment of the Indian Premier League. Jitesh was a crucial component of RCB's title-winning squad in IPL 2025, striking at 176.35 across 11 innings. He also captained a few games, when Rajat Patidar wasn't fully available.

Jitesh was frank in admitting that he would not have a lot of conversations with Kohli, and would strictly limit his interactions to cricket-related stuff without deviating. He credited his behaviour to belonging from Amravati — a small town located in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. The Vidarbha stumper-batter's humble beginnings have taught him to respect one's seniors, which is exactly what he did towards Kohli as well.

"I come from a small town, where you give lots of respect to your seniors. You don't intrude in their personal space. Mere liye unse baat karni hi badi baat thi. Mai jaanta hu Virat bhai ka stature, toh mai koshish karta tha ki kyu hi unke personal space mein jau, kyu pareshaan karu? (For me, just talking to him was a big deal. I know Virat bhai's stature, so I would try not to intrude on his personal space or bother him unnecessarily). I used to talk to him about cricket only. Out of respect, I maintained my distance. I only wanted to have meaningful conversations with him," stated Jitesh, as quoted by the Times of India.

The Amravati-born also complimented former RCB teammate and batting coach-cum-mentor Dinesh Karthik for being an 'elder brother' to him. The 31-year-old also shed light on how Karthik would focus on enhancing Jitesh's strengths instead of harping over his weaknesses.

"People used to tell me what I lack, but he worked on my strength and made me more confident about my game. That has made a huge difference. I felt it was my duty to give 100 per cent because of the way he instilled that confidence in me. He is like an elder brother to me. I have found that elder brother very late in my life, but I am glad that I did. I follow his instructions without asking any questions," he remarked.

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RCB shelled out INR 11 crore for Jitesh at the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025. He did not disappoint one bit and played some match-defining knocks in the tournament, especially the blitz against Lucknow Super Giants, where the franchise recorded its highest successful run-chase in the league's history. The Rajat Patidar-led team won the IPL for the first time that season.