IPL 2024: Will Jacks Credits Virat Kohli for Helping Him ‘Find Rhythm’ During GT vs LSG Clash

It was a stunning innings by Will Jacks as he stole the spotlight from Virat Kohli as Royal Challengers Bangalore registered a clinical victory against Gujarat Titans chasing 202 with four overs to spare. The English international scored a blistering century to set up a winning run for CSK. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Jacks credited the opening provided by RCB skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli for maintaining the scoring rate when they struggled to get going during the opening of their innings.

“Amazing feeling right now. Faf and Virat got us off to a great start. I struggled initially, but Virat kept his intensity and gave me a chance to find my rhythm,” said the RCB batsman. The century also revealed a message from the dugout during a strategic time-out. Where they were aiming for two big overs to complete the chase quickly, Jacks took charge as he gave away 29 runs to both Mohit Sharma and Rashid Khan to help RCB register their second win on the bounce. “Once we ran out of time, we said, ‘Let’s get two really good overs here and we win the game.’ Once that was done, I just kept going and felt great. I was trying to be positive (against early spin), just struggling. I was trying to overhit the ball, maybe a little bit tense ,” said the England international. “Once I got away from Mohit, I relaxed, got into my innings and then just believed in myself. Next game, hopefully, I will do it first,” he added.

Batting with Virat Kohli

Jacks had nothing but praise for his senior Kohli and believes he will take some of the lessons he has learned from his time with him in the middle. “He’s amazing, he’s a legend of the game and everyone looks up to him. Spending some time in the middle is a great learning curve. When I’m away from the IPL, I’ll learn a lot by batting with him and playing with him. Will try to take everything on board,” said Jacques. Batter was particularly critical of his innings where he struggled to get going early on. However, Kohli, being a team-man and having an awareness of the match, took charge through that initial spell which gave Jacks enough time to set up and complete the chase. “I need to be a bit more adaptable at the start of my innings and get myself a bit quicker. I was lucky today because 17 out of 17 won’t win you many games. Others around me saved me earlier today,” Jax concluded.