He appears to be at No. 1

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Jitesh Sharma should be the frontrunner for a wicketkeeper-batter’s position in the Men in Blue’s 2026 T20 World Cup squad. He pointed out that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star has the best numbers among all Indian wicketkeeper-batters in the middle order, where the gloveman might have to bat.

Jitesh is one of the two wicketkeeper-batters chosen in India’s 2025 Asia Cup squad, with Sanju Samson being the other. With vice-captain Shubman Gill potentially partnering Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order, Jitesh will likely pip Samson to the middle-order wicketkeeper-batter’s position in the continental event.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the former India opener reflected on the potential candidates for the wicketkeeper-batter positions for next year’s T20 World Cup. He reckoned that Jitesh should be the first-choice pick, reasoning (11:10):

“We come to the man who is there (in the Asia Cup squad). I feel he will play in the XI. That is Jitesh Sharma. When he has played at Nos. 1 to 3, he has a strike rate of 135 and an average of 25. We shouldn’t think too much about that because he won’t get a chance there. However, his numbers at Nos. 4 to 7 have become a lot better.”

“He has a strike rate of 166 and an average of 28. He is the first batter whose strike rate is above 150. So when the pecking order is prepared, he will go right at the top. Jitesh Sharma’s numbers have looked the best amongst everyone else. Jitesh Sharma is shining bright. He seems to be at No. 1,” Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra noted that the selectors deserve praise for picking Jitesh Sharma for the Asia Cup, highlighting that he is the right choice for a middle-order spot. He expressed hope that the RCB wicketkeeper-batter has a good run in the tournament, thereby ensuring that there is no ruckus over his potential selection for the global event.

“He is among the standbys currently” – Aakash Chopra on Dhruv Jurel as India’s potential wicketkeeper for 2026 T20 World Cup

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Dhruv Jurel seems to be in contention for the 2026 T20 World Cup as he is among the standbys for the Asia Cup and has a decent record in the middle order.

“Dhruv Jurel is a part of the Indian setup at the moment. He is among the standbys currently. He has played only two matches at Nos. 1 to 3, so there is no point in talking about a strike rate of 71 there. However, at Nos. 4 to 7, where he bats regularly, he has a strike rate of 144 and an average of 25, which is not bad,” he said.

While acknowledging that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) player is not yet a finished product, the analyst added that his inclusion in the standbys shows that the think tank wants to keep him in the mix.

“He is also a work in progress. I won’t say that he is a finished product, but I have a lot of time for Dhruv Jurel because he is a good cricketer. He has the might. He has the talent to bat at that number, and that’s the thought process behind the Indian team management keeping him, and that’s why he is part of the standbys. He was part of the team last time, but is now part of the standbys,” Chopra observed.

Dhruv Jurel has scored 12 runs at a strike rate of 52.17 in three T20I innings. He had a mixed run in IPL 2025, aggregating 333 runs at a strike rate of 156.33 in 13 innings, but failing to finish a few close games.