Will Jacks departed from the IPL 2024 before the playoffs began, having been recalled by the England side for national duties. Will Jacks hopes to put the on-field “coaching” he received from Virat Kohli to good use when England bid to retain their T20 World Cup title next month.
England batter Will Jacks declared Indian Premier League (IPL) as the “perfect preparation” for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 which will begin in the United States on June 1.
Will Jacks in IPL 2024 and Pakistan tour before the WT20
Will Jacks played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in eight matches where he struck 230 runs at an astounding strike rate of 175.7, which included a 41-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans before being called by England for their four-match T20I series against Pakistan.
Will Jacks goes into the third game of England’s warm-up series against Pakistan having helped propel the hosts to a 23-run win at Edgbaston on Saturday.
The Surrey all-rounder struck a quickfire 37 in what proved to be a decisive stand with captain Jos Buttler as England went 1-0 up in the rain-hit four-match series ahead of Tuesday’s game at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.
It was another example of Jacks’ power hitting after he recently struck an unbeaten century off just 41 balls — including 28 runs from one Rashid Khan over — as Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down 200 to beat Gujarat Titans in a high-pressure situation, with India star batsman Kohli looking on from the other end.
Will Jacks hopes to put the on-field “coaching” he received from Virat Kohli to good use when England bid to retain their T20 World Cup title next month.
England’s Will Jacks Thankful for Virat Kohli’s ‘Coaching’ During IPL 2024 Ahead of T20 World Cup
England’s Will Jacks is thankful for Kohli influence ahead of T20 World Cup. Will Jacks has been in many useful partnerships with Virat Kohli in RCB’s resurgence in IPL 2024. Will Jacks use this opportunity to thank Virat Kohli for his valuable advice during the games he played alongside him.
“The big thing with the IPL is that every game is such an occasion, the crowd, the atmosphere,” Jacks told reporters on Monday, just over a week from England’s World Cup opener against Scotland in Barbados.
“Every game you feel like you’ve got to step up and that’s similar to international cricket.”
As for batting with Kohli, the 25-year-old added:
“He’s a very good role model. The way he approaches all the training and every aspect of the game off the field, his intensity, everything he does is a 100 percent attention.
“He’s done it for such a long time and I can appreciate that as a young guy who often doesn’t want to do the hard yards, but you see him doing it and want to copy that.”
Jacks added:
“When we were batting together, he was coaching me through there. I learned some valuable things about chasing in that innings and pacing the game, which was really helpful.
“I was really proud of the way I stayed in the partnership, didn’t throw it away.”
Now Jacks, whose England career currently consists of a mere two Tests, seven one-day internationals and 12 T20s, is looking forward to a major global tournament.
“Playing in a World Cup is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid. I’m really excited to do it,” he said. “It’s getting closer now and we’re building in the right direction.”
Jacks labelled his England T20 record of 218 runs at 18.16 a “mixed bag,” although his cause has not been helped by switching between opening the innings and batting at three.
“I’ve probably opened half my games and batted number three in the other half,” he said.
“It’s no lie that I’m new to batting at three, I’m learning on the job.”
He added:
“I’ve been getting starts every game and it’s about how do I change those into match-winning scores. That’s more of a mindset thing. It doesn’t matter what I’m averaging: if the team’s winning, then it’s good.”
Will Jacks on his experience with England.
Jacks opened up during his time in IPL saying it was perfect preparation for the World Cup as it helped in managing how to perform under pressure as well.
“It [the IPL] was perfect preparation,” Jacks, who made his 12th England T20 appearance in Saturday’s 27-run win, told BBC Sport.
“It was amazing. I think everything that happens there with the crowd, the atmosphere, obviously the attention, it was completely different to anything I’ve experienced before but it felt great preparation.
“Going into that game at Edgbaston [on Saturday], I didn’t feel really nervous to be honest. Obviously playing for England is unbelievable but I didn’t feel like an extra surge of pressure or expectation.
“I think from what I’ve experienced over the last two months, it kind of came naturally to me and I felt very comfortable with it and the IPL helped. Every game has got such an onus on it and the expectation of the fans and the crowd, it’s all there.”
“I know I’m going to bat number three now so it’s something I’ve got my head around over the last six months,” said Jacks.
“We’ve got two great openers who are going to set the platform and whatever situation I come in at I’ve got to be ready for that – and that’s all been part of the learning curve.
“I feel much more comfortable now than I did in November in the Caribbean, and hopefully that will just keep growing. The more experiences I get there, the better I will come at it.”
Will Jacks earlier struggled to get a regular batting number due to a pool of talent in England’s squad but he has now been told to bat at number three in the World Cup.