Virat Kohli says Jitesh Sharma is yet to 'open up' to him: 'He finds different ways of…'

Jitesh Sharma has achieved a lot of incredible things in his cricketing career thus far. He made his India debut, was picked up for ₹11 crore at the IPL 2024 mega-auction last November, impressed his coaches and is one of the more promising wicketkeeping candidates for the Indian cricket team. However, the one thing he has yet to do thus far is 'open up' to Virat Kohli. Representing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, almost every youngster has revealed their true self to Kohli. Ask Swastik Chikara, who opened Kohli's bag and used his perfume without even asking him and wouldn't let go of his finger during his birthday celebration.

During an event, Kohli was asked which RCB teammate he would and wouldn't share a room with and why. Chikara got a straightforward no, as Kohli said, "I won't say it's Swastik Chikara because he doesn't leave me alone. So definitely not him." But the one person Kohli did want to know more about was Jitesh, especially his raw version.

"One guy who is really funny but hasn't opened up with me is Jitesh. I would really want to see that fun, raw side of him. Because I can see it in his eyes that he has got that mischief about him. He is very street smart – you can see that on the field. He finds different ways of looking at things. So I would like to get to know him more," Kohli said.

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Jitesh's bat has been awfully quiet this IPL, with the wicketkeeper batter scoring just 121 runs from 7 innings, with a best of 40 not out against the Mumbai Indians. But it's not something RCB are losing their sleep over, because the man who has shown his eagerness to know Jitesh more, is as hungry for runs as ever. Kohli, a two-time Orange Cap winner already – in 2016 and 2024 – is at No. 3, behind Suryakumar Yadav and Sai Sudharsan, with 443 runs at an average of 63.

Virat Kohli in red-hot form

Kohli has the most half-centuries by any player this season – six – with Sudharsan and Yashasvi Jaiswal trailing his tally of fifties by just one. Kohli's sensational form has been instrumental in RCB's solid showing in IPL 2025. With 14 points from 10 games, RCB are currently placed second on the points table, only below MI on the basis of an inferior net run-rate.

With only a few more matches left, if Kohli can keep his good form going, RCB could well end their wait for an elusive IPL trophy. Remember, RCB, along with the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, remain the only three teams out of the original eight to have never won the IPL. They came close in 2016, when they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final, and have endured several wooden-spoon finishes, with Kohli at the helm on a few of them. But this year, RCB have appeared a different unit altogether, rising to the occasion, and suffering not more than one batting collapse.