IPL 2024: GT vs RCB: Will Jacks acknowledges Virat Kohli’s help en route record century

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Will Jacks credited Virat Kohli for helping him wade through the initial phase of his 41-ball 100 against Gujarat Titans on Sunday. Jacks and Kohli put on an unbeaten 166 runs off just 74 balls to help RCB register a nine-wicket win over GT.

Jacks started on a nervous note, playing the first 15 balls with utmost caution. It was Kohli’s wisdom on how to tackle spin, especially Rashid Khan, that helped Jacks pace his innings. Jacks took the GT bowlers to the cleaners, hitting six sixes and two fours in the last 10 balls he faced to race to a record century.

Speaking to teammate Cameron Green for the IPL, Jacks said Kohli’s pep talk about intent gave him the impetus he needed. “Virat (Kohli) helped me through my first 15 balls where I was struggling and he showed good intent which is what we had spoken about. That was really good of him and he was keeping us ahead. He was giving me tips on playing spin. He said he was reading Rashid well and could take him down which helped me. He has got so much experience, he is amazing to bat with, I learnt so much out there and pretty lucky to have that kind of partnership with him,” the Englishman said.

The 25-year-old batter said he found it good to go from struggling to middle the ball to scoring a century. “I was feeling a bit nervous but it was nice to get one away and the confidence just instantly came back and from there we were trying to get ahead of the game. And the last two overs it was just about having fun. Virat was like, ‘just keep going, don’t stop.’ I never thought about the hundred, but then I looked up, seven to win, I am on 88, you never know. Crazy innings to go from not being able to hit the ball to feeling like I could hit anything,” Jacks said.

Despite two back-to-back wins, RCB is still at the bottom of the table, having just six points. Although Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are also on six points, the two teams have played nine matches against RCB’s 10.

The batter said RCB has shown what they can do and hoped that these kind of performances will help his team go the distance. “”We lost by one run and now we have two wins in a row. We have been building momentum. We have still got a chance. We have shown what we can do. We win all four, we get on a roll, you never know, and those can be how you win the tournament. You just sneak into fourth place there in great form and then you never know,” Jacks concluded.