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Will Jacks overshadowed Virat Kohli with an explosive knock to take Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a comfortable win over the Gujarat Titans at the Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, April 28, 2024.
The season's trend continued, as the batters once again took centrestage with the bowlers left looking clueless at times.
While Shahrukh Khan and Sai Sudharsan took the hosts to 200, Jacks and Kohli put up a sizzling partnership to chase it down with four overs to spare.
The top knocks of the game:
Shahrukh Khan
The Titans started sluggishly, losing their openers early in the scorching Ahmedabad heat. But a surprise promotion for Shahrukh Khan at number 4 turned the tide of the innings.
The hard-hitting batter thrived against the spinners, smashing five sixes and three fours on his way to a career-best 58 off just 30 balls. The highlight was a towering maximum over long on to reach his maiden IPL fifty.
Shahrukh and Sai Sudharsan -- both of who play for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket -- plundered 86 runs off a mere 45 deliveries, taking the Titans from a precarious position to 200 for 3.
This innings could be a turning point for Shahrukh's IPL career. His promotion proved to be a masterstroke, showcasing his immense potential as a finisher for the Gujarat Titans.
Sai Sudharsan
Sudharsan's 84 not out, laced with eight fours and four sixes, provided much-needed stability for the Titans innings.
His composure ensured the momentum remained with Gujarat, negated the threat posed by RCB's spinners and provided a solid platform for the late flourish.
In the death overs, David Miller joined Sudharsan, and the duo added a quickfire 69 runs off 36 balls. It was Sudharsan's anchoring knock that laid the foundation for the Titans' strong total. He ensured the wobble at the start didn't derail the innings, proving his worth as a reliable middle-order batsman.
Sudharsan's knock places him second on the IPL 2024 run-scorers' list behind Virat Kohli, with 418 runs from 10 games; Kohli tops the charts with 500 runs.
Virat Kohli
King Kohli silenced critics with an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls to play a crucial role in RCB's third win of the season.
Kohli, whose strike rate has been a hotly debated subject, struck his fifth 50+ score this season. Opening alongside Faf du Plessis, Kohli brought up his 50 off 32 deliveries.
While Kohli played second fiddle to Faf, who got off to a brisk start, he took over the attacking role after the skipper departed for 24 off 12 in only the fourth over.
Switching gears, Kohli found the boundary ropes with ease, with Will Jacks at the opposite end.
In an answer to critics, who have questioned his slow rate in the middle overs, the star batter took the bowlers by surprise as he employed the sweep shot against the spinners. Kohli showed his intent as he hammered left-arm spinner Sai Kishore for back-to-back sixes.
Scoring at a rate of 159.09, his knock was laced with six boundaries and three maximums.
Furthermore, Kohli brought up 500 runs this season. While this is the 10th time he has gone past 400 runs in the league, it's the seventh time Kohli has crossed 500 runs in the IPL.
Will Jacks
Will Jacks's lethal assault against Mohit Sharma and Rashid Khan powered RCB to a crushing win.
Coming in at No. 3 after Sai Kishore ended Faf's fiery start, Jacks joined Kohli in the middle.
The pair put up a sizzling stand for the second wicket as they chased down the target with 24 balls to spare.
The Englishman got off to a quiet start with Kohli finding the boundary ropes with ease. Going steady at 44 off 29, Jacks shifted gears as he hammered Mohit and Rashid to take RCB home.
The Challengers looked to be in a comfortable position, but the home team was taken by surprise as Jacks went off the hook!
With Mohit returning to the attack in the 15th over, RCB needed 53 off 36.
Jacks, going steady at 44, went berserk! After welcoming Mohit with a boundary, Jacks hammered the bowler for 6-7nb-2-6-4 to thrash him for 29 runs. While this over brought up his half-century, the next over brought up his century!
Reeling from the thrashing, Shubman Gill brought Rashid back into the attack in the next over. But Jacks didn't spare the lethal bowler. After Kohli took a single and put Jacks on strike, the 25 yearold smashed Rashid for 6-6-4-6-6, to not only bring up his century but also take RCB to victory.
Jacks reached his half-century in 14.2 overs and brought up his 100 in 16 overs!
Off the last 17 balls he faced, he hammered four fours and nine sixes. Scoring at a sizzling rate of 243.90, Jacks' 41-ball 100 was peppered with five boundaries and ten sixes!
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