RCB fans would have been over the moon after they chased down 228 runs against LSG. The stand in skipper Jitesh Sharma played a stellar knock of 85 runs in 33 balls and he was on a beast mode. Jitesh Sharma played a knock for ages as the dismissal of Virat Kohli (*54 runs in 30 balls) didn’t bother him much as at that time RCB’s score was 123-4 requiring another 105 runs to win which wan’t an easy task.
LSG on the other hand would be crestfallen given how they couldn’t defend the target of 228 runs. Rishabh Pant’s ton went into vain in 1st innings as the bowlers lacked discipline and efficiency. William O’ Rourke who had impressed everyone in this resumption of IPL had a forgettable where he gave away 74 runs in 4 overs as his 2 scalps didn’t carry that much importance for LSG.
Jitesh Sharma opens up on the thrilling run chase and his knock
Jitesh Sharma was seen in the post match press conference. RCB wicket-keeper pointed out that the batting coach Dinesh Karthik’s mantra of taking the game deep helped him of winning the match for the team. Jitesh Sharma stated that the pressure of captaincy took a load on him but also mentioned that there’s always excitement while working with Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya & Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
“I will not be able to express my thoughts! I can’t believe I played that knock. When Virat bhai was out, I was just thinking of taking it deep. As my mentor and guru Dinesh [Karthik] anna says, just take it deep. I was getting cramps because all the load was on me! I have Virat bhai, Krunal bhai and Bhuvi bhai with me. I feel excited that I’m playing with them. We want to enjoy the moment. But we’ll try to recover well. We’ll look to carry the momentum into the next match,” said Jitesh Sharma.
Josh Hazlewood will perhaps play in the knockout- Jitesh Sharma
Jitesh Sharma was quite happy to keep the winning overseas record maintain of RCB. Jitesh Sharma was quite optimistic that Josh Hazlewood will be available for the playoffs. The wicket-keeper batter said that RCB has got multiple match winners.
“Credit goes to Rajat. I was responsible for maintaining his record. Hazlewood will perhaps play in the knockout. We have a strong belief system. We have match winners. Look at our playing XI, and we have match winners,” said Jitesh Sharma.
High voltage clash on cards
RCB has won all 7 away games in IPL 2025, which says a lot about the team dynamics. With the playoff phase commencing from tomorrow 29th May RCB can’t afford any more hiccups, irrespective they get 2 chances of going to the final. RCB will lock horns against PBKS on 29th May at Chandigarh which is again an away game for RCB which can work for them.
PBKS on the other side would be back in their familiar territory at Chandigarh. RCB though had defeated PBKS at Chandigarh on 20th April & PBKS will be keen to settle a score. There’s not much to separate between RCB & PBKS as both the teams now have started winning matches without their star players Virat Kohli & Shreyas Iyer. The qualifier pressure though will be there which makes PBKS slightly a favorite to win the contest given they have immense variety in batting & bowling departments.
Also Read:Â LSG vs RCB : Records Broken After RCB Win A Thriller Against LSG