Blazing Jacks ton helps Bengaluru ease past Gujarat
Ahmedabad, India - Six overs left in the chase, 53 to get. Virat Kohli on 69, Will Jacks on 44. The obvious question at that point was whether Kohli could get to a century.
That is till Jacks decided to remind everybody of his presence and hitting abilities. He went on a six-hitting spree to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ransack 58 off the next two overs and overhaul the 201 target with four overs to spare. In the process, he also completely sidetracked Kohli's knock and blitzed to a 41-ball century, his first in the IPL, with minimum fuss. It was an innings that changed speeds in a blink of an eye, and had Kohli gesturing that he missed only a bucket of popcorn and a cold drink from the best seat in the house to witness the Willstorm.
This was all after Gujarat Titans posted 200 for 3 on the back of an unbeaten 84 from B Sai Sudharsan and a 30-ball 58 from Shahrukh Khan. With the track assisting spin at the start of the game before becoming conducive to strokeplay, it looked as if GT had enough on the board. Until it wasn't.
Before the start of Sunday's fixtures, RCB had the secondworst economy rate in the powerplay, their 10.53 being only marginally better than Kolkata Knight Riders' 10.68. But against GT, the RCB bowlers were on the money, and it all started in the first over. Swapnil Singh, playing only his second game in IPL 2024, deceived Wriddhiman Saha by flight, having him caught at short third in an attempt to go inside out.
Thereon, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan merely consolidated. Their attempts to free the shackles did not bear fruit as they could manage only one four in the last three overs of the powerplay to finish on 42 for 1. Glenn Maxwell, back in the XI for RCB, then preyed on Gill's quiet start to have him caught brilliantly at longon in a diving effort by Cameron Green.
At 45 for 2 in the seventh over, GT decided to send in Shahrukh at No. 4 and the move paid rich dividends. He got going straightaway, sweeping Maxwell over longon for six before pulling a notso-short one between long-on and deep midwicket for four. Shahrukh was asked to be the disruptor and he essayed that role to perfection.