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Jacks century steers RCB to emphatic victory over Gujarat Titans

cricket28 April 2024 13:30| © MWP
By:Neil Manthorp
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Will Jacks (L) and Virat Kohli © Getty Images

Englishman Will Jacks smashed an extraordinary, unbeaten century off just 41 balls to steer the beleaguered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to an emphatic, nine-wicket victory with an alarming four overs to spare in their IPL match against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday afternoon.

Replying to the home side’s 200-3 the visitors, with just two wins in nine previous games, reached 206-1 in just 16 overs with Virat Kohli a jubilant ‘spectator’ at the none-striker’s end having contributed a typically stylish, unbeaten 70 himself from 44 balls with six fours and three sixes.

Jacks’s innings was all the more remarkable for the fact that he scored just 17 runs from his first 17 balls meaning 83 came from the next 24 balls including 29 from Rashid Khan’s final over (4-0-51-0), the final over of the match.

Jacks hit five fours and no less than 10 predominantly legside sixes. Remarkably, it was only the fifth fastest IPL hundred.

Veteran seamer Mohit Sharma bore the brunt of Jacks’s fury with his two overs costing an eye-watering 41 runs.

The only wicket to fall belonged to captain Faf du Plessis who walloped 24 from 12 balls with a four and three sixes to set the tone before holing out to deep midwicket.

Earlier Sai Sudharsan scored an unbeaten 84 from 49 balls (8x4, 4x6) to guide the Titans to a total of 200-3 after being asked to bat first after a cautious start on a pitch offering rare but marginal assistance to the bowlers although Shahrukh Khan had no difficulty with his time during a fine innings of 58 from 30 balls (3x4, 5x6).

A fine yorker from Mohammad Siraj (1-34) clattered into Shahrukh’s stumps but David Miller batted through to the end against some disciplined ‘death bowling’ to finish 26 not out from 19 balls with a six and two fours.

Openers Wriddhimam Saha (5) and captain Shubman Gill (16 off 19) were particularly introspective during the Power Play with Gill eventually brilliantly caught low down at long on by a diving Cameron Green of Glenn Maxwell’s off-spin.

The home side remain in seventh place with just four wins from ten matches and missed the chance to climb into a five-way tie for second place (albeit with an inferior net run-rate) with a much-needed victory.

The Royal Challengers, facing the unedifying prospect of playing their final five group matches without the prospect of reaching the playoff matches, salvaged plenty of pride.

If they win their final four group matches as emphatically as this they may have a slim, mathematical chance of finishing in the top four.

GUJARAT TITANS: Wriddhiman Saha (wkt), Shubman Gill (captain), Sai Sudharsan, David Miller, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (captain), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal

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