Jitesh stated that he was just trying to take the game deep, as his mentor Dinesh Karthik told him. He played an unbeaten knock of 85 runs in 33 balls, including eight fours and six maximums. Further, the 31-year-old credited captain Rajat Patidar by saying that he has just maintained the record of Patidar
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's batter Jitesh Sharma plays a shot during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium, in Lucknow. Pic/PTI
In the IPL 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants, Royal Challengers Bengaluru came victorious by six wickets. Stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma delivered a match-winning knock of 85 runs off just 33 balls.
Speaking about his knock, the right-hander said, "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".
Jitesh stated that he was just trying to take the game deep, as his mentor Dinesh Karthik told him. He played an unbeaten knock of 85 runs in 33 balls, including eight fours and six maximums.
Jitesh certainly had fortune on his side. In the 17th over, RCB almost lost Jitesh twice. He dispatched the ball on the first ball into Badoni's hands, but Digvesh had crossed the return crease with his back foot, resulting in a no-ball. On the next delivery, he muscled the ball away into the stands to bring up his maiden fifty in the IPL.
During his knock, he was shouldered by Mayank Agarwal, who, too, stayed unbeaten on 41 runs in 23 balls. While forging an unbeaten 107-run partnership with Mayank, Jitesh battled cramps and promised that they would carry forward the momentum into the next match.
"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 the wicketkeeper-batsman.
Further, the 31-year-old credited captain Rajat Patidar by saying that he has just maintained the record of Patidar. He also hinted that premier pacer Josh Hazlewood would likely make his appearance in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2025.
"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," Jitesh concluded.
In the first essay of the match, Rishabh Pant played an unbeaten knock of 118 runs off just 61 balls. His knock was laced with 11 boundaries and eight maximums, which helped the side post a target of 228 runs for the loss of three wickets.
Nuwan Thushara, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Romario Shepherd were the only bowlers who claimed one wicket each to their names.
(With ANI Inputs)
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