Jitesh Sharma, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) wicketkeeper-batter, is currently in the headlines for reasons other than cricket. Jitesh Sharma announced his engagement to Shalaka Makeshwar and shared a heartwarming message and pictures with his followers on Instagram on Friday, August 9.

Shalaka Makeshwar, a Nagpur native with an engineering background, works in the IT sector. Shalaka has held positions as Senior Test Engineer at Global Logic and a Software Engineer at Advent Software Pvt. Limited. Her official Instagram account username is @_shalakashalaka.

According to LinkedIn, Shalaka completed her BE in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Prof. Ram Meghe College of Engineering and Management, Badnera Rly. She then pursued a Master of Technology (M.Tech) in VLSI Design from Yashwantrao Chavan College of Engineering (YCCE).

We Found Our For Ever On 8.8.8 - Jitesh Sharma

Jitesh Sharma took to Instagram to share photos from his engagement to Shalaka Makeshwar. Jitesh wore black pants and a gray shirt, while Shalaka wore a traditional saree. Both were adorned with floral garlands. The post revealed their engagement on August 8, though the news was shared on August 9.

Announcing the good news, Jitesh Sharma captioned his Instagram post: “In this crazy world, we found our forever on 8.8.8. 8th August 2024.”

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A post shared by Jitesh Sharma (@jiteshsharma_)

Cricketers, including India’s new T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, extended their congratulations to Jitesh Sharma and Shalaka Makeshwar on their engagement.

“Bahut bahut badhaiiii bhauuu aur vahini dono ko (Many many congratulations to both brother and sister-in-law.),” Suryakumar wrote.

“Congratulations and welcome to the club,” Ruturaj Gaikwad commented.

“Congratulations to both of you,” Shivam Dube wrote.

Indian cricketers, including Washington Sundar, Mohsin Khan, and former Punjab Kings coach Wasim Jaffer also congratulated Jitesh Sharma on his engagement. 

"Boht boht Mubarak, Fevicol ka jod," Ashdeep Singh wrote.

"Congratulations bhai," Venkatesh Iyer wrote.

"Yaaaay, congratulations!" Washington Sundar wrote.

"Congratulations," Wasim Jaffer wrote.

Jitesh Sharma Not Included In India's T20 World Cup 2024 Squad

Jitesh Sharma has featured in nine T20Is for India. The right-handed batter has scored 100 runs at a strike rate of 147.05. He played two matches in the T20I series against Afghanistan earlier this year but struggled to make an impact. He had underwhelming performances with the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024.

The 30-year-old batter scored 187 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 131.69 during the IPL 2024 season. His performance did not catch the selectors' eye for the 2024 T20 World Cup, where Team India secured the title. Jitesh now aims to impress in the next IPL season and secure a return to the national team.

Jitesh Sharma is expected to play for Vidarbha in the upcoming domestic cricket. He wants to prove himself after missing out on the World Cup squad. It remains uncertain whether the Punjab Kings will retain him following a lackluster IPL season. 

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