Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Jitesh Sharma is facing scrutiny for his slow 14-run innings off 20 balls against the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. This performance, which hampered RCB's momentum in the death overs, has brought an old interview to light where he expressed a desire for the top order to collapse so he could become a 'hero'.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has found himself under scrutiny for his slow innings in the IPL 2026 clash against the Delhi Capitals at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, April 18.
After being put into bat first by DC captain Axar Patel, RCB posted a respectable total of 175/8 in 20 overs. Opener Phil Salt led the batting with a knock of 63 off 38 balls, including 4 fours and 3 sixes, at a strike rate of 165.79. Tim David (26), Virat Kohli (19), and Devdutt Padikkal (18) made starts but couldn’t convert into big scores.
For DC, skipper Axar Patel (2/18), Kuldeep Yadav (2/32), and Lungi Ngidi (2/39) picked up two wickets each to keep RCB from finishing with a bigger total and applied pressure in the middle and death overs. Mukesh Kumar (1/32) chipped in with a crucial breakthrough to further restrict RCB’s momentum at the back end of the innings.
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Jitesh’s Slow Innings in Spotlight
As Royal Challengers Bengaluru managed to post a respectable total on the board, despite a strong start from Phil Salt and useful contributions from the middle order, Jitesh Sharma’s slow innings in the middle order has become a talking point of the innings, as the wicketkeeper-batter didn’t accelerate the innings.
Walking in to bat after Rajat Patidar’s dismissal at 131/4, Jitesh’s stay at the crease failed to provide the late push RCB needed in the death over. Though the wicketkeeper-batter built partnerships with Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and Krunal Pandya, his contribution to the scoring rate remained limited.
Jitesh Sharma’s collective partnership with David, Shepherd, and Krunal was 67 runs, but he contributed just 14 off 20 balls, meaning he accounted for only around 21% of the partnership runs while consuming a large number of deliveries, which significantly impacted RCB’s late-innings acceleration.
Jitesh walked in to bat in the 13th over, and he stayed at the crease till the penultimate ball of the final over, but his inability to shift gears during the death overs meant RCB managed only a modest finish, with the scoring rate dipping at a crucial stage despite set batters around him.
Jitesh Sharma’s ‘Hero’ Mindset Backfires
As Jitesh Sharma played a slow innings against the Delhi Capitals, a video of his conversation with former RCB batter AB de Villiers went viral on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), wherein he spoke about his aggressive mindset of wanting to become the “hero” in pressure situations.
Speaking on AB de Villiers’ YouTube channel, Jitesh stated that he thrives in pressure situations and even visualises match-winning performances where he becomes the “hero” for his team, adding that he prefers to bat when the top order collapses, as it allows him to take responsibility.
“You won’t believe, I always pray to God, let my top order get collapsed, and I can bat and score. I see it as an opportunity to become a hero. I always visualise such innings in my life. I am such a person; I have always wanted to do something magical,” RCB wicketkeeper-batter said.
“Being in the present, focus on your breathing, seeing the scoreboard, what’s required, what’s not required, calculating such things, being yourself, I think, helps me to handle that pressure. Be yourself, focus on your own assets. What shot should be required now, which bowler is bowling, focusing on such things, so automatically your pressure just goes away," he added.
In the ongoing IPL season, Jitesh Sharma registered the scores of 0, 5, 10, 23, and 14, aggregating 52 runs in 5 matches at an average of 10.40, struggling to convert starts into impactful finishing knocks for RCB in IPL 2026.
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