Jitesh Sharma produced a moment of pure wicketkeeping magic to cut short Quinton de Kock’s blazing innings and deny the South African opener what seemed a certain hundred in the second T20I in Mullanpur on Thursday.
De Kock, cruising on 90 off just 46 balls, looked to dab Varun Chakravarthy into the off side for a single. Instead, he ended up bottom-edging the ball into the turf. As he instinctively took a couple of steps down the pitch, the ball popped up awkwardly over Jitesh’s left shoulder.
India vs South Africa, 2nd T20I Updates
What followed was extraordinary reflex work. Jitesh first searched for the ball with his left glove, then managed to parry it into his right. Still in one fluid motion, he swivelled and swept that glove backwards to break the stumps before de Kock could scramble home.
The decision was referred upstairs, and replays confirmed Jitesh’s brilliance. The keeper’s sharpness had beaten the batter’s desperate dive. South Africa slipped to 156 for 3 in 15.1 overs, and de Kock was left on 90, a wicketkeeper denying another wicketkeeper a well-deserved century.
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Published By:
Saurabh Kumar
Published On:
Dec 11, 2025
