[WATCH]- Jitesh Sharma Showers Praise On RCB Teammate During Practice Match Before IPL 2025

Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma lavished praise on his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Romario Shepherd during a practice match in preparation for IPL 2025. The team is set to kick off their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the season opener on March 22.

RCB shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) featuring highlights from their practice match, where Romario Shepherd was seen smashing a big shot while Jitesh, watching from the sidelines, applauded his performance.

“Insaan ke shareer mein rhino ki power hai. Aise power toh maine bohot kam logo mai dekha hai (His body has the power of a rhino. I have seen such power in very few people),” he said.

Romario described his playing style as aggressive and referred to himself as the team’s ‘rhino.’

“I have the attacking nature and I have the strength. So I guess I am the rhino in the team,” he said.

The squad split into two teams, captained by Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma, in a high-scoring match where both sides crossed 200 runs. RCB, who reached the playoffs last year but lost in the Eliminator, will be striving for their first-ever IPL title this season.

"Wasted Them” - Tim David’s Cheeky Dig at Rajat Patidar in RCB Practice Match

All-rounder Tim David playfully commented after RCB captain Rajat Patidar pulled off a stunning diving catch during their practice match. He joked that Patidar wasted such catches in a practice game, adding that one of them deserved to be taken in front of a packed crowd.

“He’s wasted them in a practice game. That catch deserved being in front of a full crowd. That was pretty good,” he said in the same video.

Rajat Patidar was named RCB’s new captain for IPL 2025, replacing Faf du Plessis, as the franchise took a forward-thinking approach instead of reverting to Virat Kohli. With RCB yet to win an IPL title, Patidar faces a big challenge in leading the team under high expectations.