A stint or two in the IPL tends to help cricketers approach the Team India dressing room environment in a more relaxed way. Particularly, if it happens to be their maiden India call-up, adjusting to the transition from domestic cricket gets a tad easier.

Like others, Jitesh Sharma, too, wasn’t overawed when he made his way into the Indian team dressing room for the first time during the recent T20Is against Sri Lanka.

The Vidarbha keeper-batter, also a part of the Indian squad for the upcoming home T20I series versus New Zealand, got a sudden call-up after Sanju Samson was ruled out with a knee injury following the first T20I against the Islanders.

Having gone through the rigours of IPL last year for Punjab Kings, Sharma was quite calm to deal with the situation. But he does understand the difference between an IPL team change-room and that of the national side.

“Well, there’s a big difference between the two dressing rooms. There are a lot more responsibilities on your shoulder when you’re a part of the national team dressing room since you’re representing your country,” Sharma told The Telegraph from Nagpur on Saturday.

“The pressure there certainly differs (from that in the IPL) as you are playing for your country. So for any player, a national team call-up at any stage of his career is always of utmost importance. And the same goes for me,” the 29-year-old said.

Sharma’s numbers in 76 T20 appearances so far are impressive. He aggregates 1,787 runs with an average of 30.28 and a strike rate of 147.93.

It was mainly during IPL 2022 when he caught the eye of quite a few with his strokeplay, scoring 234 runs from 12 matches for the Punjab franchise. His strike rate (163.64) again stood out, while the average of 29.25 wasn’t too bad either.

“An IPL stint, in one way, obviously benefits one going into the national team setup,” Sharma acknowledged. “Those runs I scored last year certainly made me aware of my capabilities that helped me settle down when I first entered the Indian change-room.

“Also, I had played in the IPL with and against a lot of these guys. That familiarity is always there.”

Asked if the brief spell with the likes of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav earlier this month has made him more mature, Sharma replied: “Well, even if you don’t get to be in the XI, you still learn a fair bit in terms of the senior players’ work ethics and their preparation. That also adds to your game.

“It’s not that you always have to keep talking with them. I’ve played with a lot of these guys even in domestic cricket. So as I said, I’m quite familiar with their ways since I know them well.”

Sharma, at present, has just two priorities: “to keep growing as a cricketer and perform in the New Zealand T20Is” if given a chance.