Will Jacks slammed a sensational hundred while Virat Kohli raised his game in the middle overs as Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans by nine wickets in the IPL on Sunday.
Kohli (70 not out from 44), whose progress in the middle overs had been questioned in the previous game, used a sweep shot against the spinners to make a statement before Jacks (100 not out from 41) broke free and smashed the 201-run target with as many as 24 balls to spare.
Jacks went on a rampage in the final over, hammering as many as four sixes and four off Rashid Khan to wrap up the game much earlier than expected. The Englishman plundered as many as 10 sixes in his breathtaking effort
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Shahrukh Khan (58 off 30) made full use of his promotion in the batting order while Sai Sudharsan (84 not out 49) stayed on till the end to guide Gujarat Titans to 200 for three.
The Titans introduced the spin very early and Kohli rose to the task, picking up back-to-back sixes off Ravi Sai Kishore’s left-arm spinner to make his intent crystal clear.
He was particularly harsh on another Afghan spinner, Noor Ahmed, who swept him at will before bringing up his fifty off 32 balls.
Kohli didn’t have to do much after that as Jacks put the Titans bowlers to the sword.
RCB, who are going through another tough season, got their third win from 10 matches while Titans suffered their sixth loss from 10 matches. The Faf du Plessis-led side finally seemed to find some momentum as they came from behind to win on Sunday.
Earlier, batting at number four, Shahrukh combined with Sudharsan to give Gujarat Titans the much-needed push after a lukewarm start. The duo shared 86 runs off 45 balls.
RCB lined up to bat in the sweltering heat in Ahmedabad with Glenn Maxwell returning to his playing XI from a “mental and physical health” break.
