Jitesh Sharma steers RCB to 7-wicket victory against LSG
Jitesh Sharma steers RCB to 7-wicket victory against LSG
RCB Stand-In Captain Jitesh Sharma steered his team to a 7-wicket victory against LSG on Tuesday in Lucknow.
But, Jitesh owes this victory to Dinesh Karthik’s words that inspired him to pull-off 228-run chase.
With an exuberant show with the bat, Jitesh Sharma left the spectators captivated with his unbeaten 85 from just 33 deliveries while striking at 257.58.
Jitesh Sharma couldn’t believe his eyes that he executed a match-winning knock, revealed the message of his “mentor and guru” Dinesh Karthik, which allowed him to finish off a record-shattering chase against Lucknow Super Giants in the final group stage game of the 18th season of the IPL.
Amidst RCB’S pursuit of an intimidating 228-run target, they were 123/4 after losing its ‘Chase Master’ Virat Kohli in the 12th over. Jitesh came in next to join hands with Mayank Agarwal to figure out a blueprint for RCB. They both scripted history.
While forging an unbeaten 107-run partnership with Mayank, Jitesh battled cramps and emsured that they would carry forward the momentum into the next match.
Amidst the post match presentation”I will not be able to express my thoughts! I can’t believe I played that knock. When Virat bhai was out, I was just thinking of taking it deep. As my mentor and guru Dinesh [Karthik] anna says, just take it deep,” Jitesh said in the post-match presentation.
Jitesh certainly had fortune on his side. In the 17th over, RCB almost lost Jitesh twice. He dispatched the ball on the first ball into Badoni’s hands, but Digvesh had crossed the return crease with his back foot, resulting in a no-ball. On the next delivery, he muscled the ball away into the stands to bring up his maiden fifty in the IPL.
The game-defining moment came on the final delivery of the over when Digvesh caught Jitesh short of the crease at the non-striker’s end. The bails ignited before Jitesh’s bat crossed the crease, but he remained not out after Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant withdrew the appeal.
RCB’s record-defining chase kept their flawless away run intact, paving the way for a top-two finish for the first time since 2016. In seven fixtures away from home, Bengaluru has remained unscathed and emerged victorious in each one, making them the first side to achieve the feat in the tournament’s history.
As they now shift their focus towards their impending date with Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on Thursday, Jitesh confirmed Josh Hazlewood is in contention to return to on-field action after recovering from a shoulder niggle.
News Edit KV Raman
