Will Jacks put on a six-hitting spectacle in Ahmedabad to give Royal Challengers Bengaluru their third win of IPL 2024. Chasing 201, RCB remained in the hunt after the first half but then turned on the heat with Virat Kohli getting the best seat in the house. Will Jacks, who was struggling at 17 off 17 at point, hammered 83 off his next 24 balls to smash an incredible 41-ball ton that helped his side chase down 201 with four overs to spare.
Will Jacks’ late assault – he hit four fours and nine sixes in his last 17 balls – helped RCB ransack 58 off two overs when they needed 53 off 36 balls, and in the process he brought up a 41-ball 100. 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 Will-storm.
Will Jacks Hurricane century garners RCB to chase 201 in 16 overs
Will Jacks produced a magnificent knock, smashing a century off just 41 deliveries to secure a comprehensive nine-wicket win for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru against the Gujarat Titans on Sunday. The RCB batter Will Jacks made a slow start to his innings, and was at a run-a-ball 17 at one point in his innings; however, his acceleration was incredible as Will Jacks notched up 83 runs in his next 24 deliveries, dampening Titans’ hopes for a comeback as he helped RCB reach a 201-run target with four overs to spare.
Virat Kohli, the RCB star, was at the other end for the side in the run-chase, as the duo remained unbeaten to clinch a nine-wicket win for the side. The RCB opener scored 70* off 44 deliveries and was simply in awe of Will Jacks’ brilliant power-hitting in the middle. During the final over of RCB’s run-chase, Will Jacks took on the formidable Rashid Khan, dispatching the spinner for towering sixes. The sheer magnitude of the hits left Kohli visibly impressed, as he was unable to contain his admiration.
Will Jacks post his sizzling 100 has words of praise for his partner Virat Kohli’s advice against GT
It was a scintillating knock by Will Jacks as he stole the spotlight from Virat Kohli as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered a clinical victory over Gujarat Titans, chasing down 202 runs with four overs to spare. The English international struck a blistering century to score the winning runs for RCB.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, jacks credited the start provided by the RCB skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli and thanked the latter for keeping up the scoring rate when he was struggling to get going during the start of his innings.
“Amazing feeling right now. Faf and Virat got us off to a very good start. I struggled early on, but Virat kept his intensity up and gave me the chance to find my rhythm,” said the RCB batter.
The centurion also revealed the message from the dugout during the strategic time-out where they were aiming to get two big overs to complete the chase quickly. Will Jacks took charge as he struck both Mohit Sharma and Rashid Khan for 29 runs each in the over to help RCB register their second win on the bounce.
“Once we had the time-out, we said, ‘Let’s get two really good overs here and we win the game.’ Once that happened, I just kept going and amazing feeling right now. I was trying to be positive (against spin early on), was just struggling. I was trying to overhit the ball, probably a little bit tensed,” said the England international.
“Once I got one away off Mohit, I relaxed, got into my innings and then just trusted myself. Next game, hopefully, I do that earlier,” he added.
Will Jacks had nothing but praise for his senior, Kohli and reckons that he will take away some of the lessons he has learned with time spent in the middle with him.
“It’s amazing, he’s a legend of the game and is someone everyone looks up to. To spend some time in the middle is a great feeling a huge learning curve. When I go away from the IPL, I’ll learn so much from batting with him and playing with him. I’ll try to take it all on board,” said Jacks.
The batter was particularly critical about his innings where he struggled to get going initially. However, Kohli being the team-man and having the match-awareness, took charge through that initial spell which allowed Will Jacks to have enough time to get set and complete the chase.
“I need to be a bit more adaptable at the beginning of my innings and get myself in a little bit quicker. I was lucky today because 17 of 17 is not going to win you many games. The other guys around me saved me earlier today,” Jacks concluded.
The Royal Challengers are unlikely to qualify for the playoffs but mathematically still remain in the race for playoffs. The side endured a disappointing first half of the season, facing six successive losses after the win in their second match against Punjab Kings. However, the win against the Titans was their second in succession, following the crucial victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier this week. RCB stay at the bottom of the table with six points in ten matches.