RCB vs LSG: RCB's stan-in skipper Jitesh Sharma pulled off a stuff of dreams for Royal Challengers Bengaluru bailing them out from multiple precarious situations during the successful chase against the hosts Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday. A knock of 85 off just 33 balls in a winning cause while chasing speaks volumes of what the wicket-keeper batter has achieved. LSG, who put on a strong total courtesy of a commanding hundred by captain Rishabh Pant, were ahead of the game after the end of 1st innings.
However, Jitesh had something else on his mind as he masterfully steered a chase with help from static Mayank Agarwal who held on to one end playing the anchor while the former played some brilliant shots.
With this knock, Jitesh also surpassed CSK skipper MS Dhoni's record of ending the innings with a strike rate of 255. Notably, Jitesh played his knock at a strike rate of 257.57 going past Dhoni.
Maximum Strike Rate For A Captain In Winning Cause In IPL (50-plus scores)
278.26 - Faf du Plessis (RCB) vs GT (64 off 23) - Bengaluru, 2024
267.74 - Kieron Pollard (MI) vs KXIP (83 off 31) - Mumbai WS, 2019
257.57 - Jitesh Sharma (RCB) vs LSG (85* off 33) - Lucknow, 2025
255.00 - MS Dhoni (CSK) vs MI (51* off 20) - Bengaluru, 2012
242.85 - Adam Gilchrist (Deccan) vs DD (85 off 35) - Centurion, 2009
Jitesh Sharma Credits Dinesh Karthik For His Knock
Having played an incredible knock, Jitesh said the idea was to take the game deep after Virat Kohli's (54 off 30 balls) departure with more than 100 runs behind their target.
"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," Player of the Match Jitesh said.
"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," Jitesh added.