RCB batting star Will Jacks said he always knew he was capable of making a mark in the IPL, but to bring up his maiden century in the T20 league when Virat Kohli was his batting partner was ‘special’. The 25-year-old England star said he was thrilled to see how Virat Kohli hyped him up when he went on an incredible assault against Gujarat in a crucial IPL 2024 game against Gujarat at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on April 28. Jacks went on a six-hitting spree, especially against Rashid Khan, smashing his hundred in just 41 balls as RCB successfully chased down 201 in just 16 overs.
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Will Jacks took Rashid Khan, one of the finest spinners in T20 cricket, to the cleaners, hitting him for four sixes and a boundary in the 16th over, leaving Virat Kohli stunned. The slog sweep that Jacks hit to get from 88 to 94 left Kohli speechless. The former RCB captain’s reaction to Jacks’ shot went viral on social media. As it turns out, Jacks has got the photo of Kohli’s viral reaction saved in the ‘favourites’ section in his phone, according to ESPNCricinfo.
“Obviously a big celebration, a hug from Virat, and then I realised what I’d done. It was amazing. I just thought, ‘I’m 100 not out in an IPL game – and two weeks ago, I wasn’t even playing.’ There’s been a lot of attention since but I’ve loved the experience,” Will Jacks told the publication.
“I’ve always known I’ve been good enough, but to really dominate like that just lets everyone else know what I can do. But to do it with Virat, and have him hyping me up like that? It’s special,” he added.
Jacks warmed the bench in the first half of the tournament, but Glenn Maxwell’s absence midway through the tournament handed him an opportunity. The England batter, playing in the IPL for the first time, finished with 230 runs in 8 matches at a strike rate of over 170.
Notably, against Gujarat in Ahmedabad, Jacks was batting on 16 off 16 before he went on a sensational big-hitting spree. The star foreign recruit hit as many as 10 sixes in the innings, taking on some of the best bowlers.
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Jacks revealed Virat Kohli kept him going and told him at one point during the chase to go for his hundred. RCB’s big win helped boost their Net Run Rate and aid their incredible comeback run in the second half of the IPL season.
“It snuck up on me. I only got to my fifty the over before. I was just trying to get there as quickly as possible and win the game. Once I got my fifty, Virat was like, ‘I don’t want to face any balls – keep going’,” Jacks said.
Will Jacks will not be available for RCB’s final league game of the season against CSK in Bengaluru on Saturday, May 18. The England star left home to join the England national team ahead of their home series against Pakistan and the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies.
RCB, who are on 12 points from 13 games, need to beat CSK by a margin of more than 18 runs or 9 deliveries to sneak through to playoffs.