Jitesh Sharma’s incredible knock of 85 runs off 33 balls against the Lucknow Super Giants has sent shockwaves throughout the cricketing world. This whirlwind innings, which included 8 fours and 6 sixes, single-handedly turned the game on its head, guiding the Royal Challengers Bangalore to a thrilling victory.
Redrawing the script
When Jitesh walked onto the field, his team needed 105 runs off 52 balls. The odds were stacked against them, but this young batsman was undaunted. As the game hung in the balance, he proceeded to rewrite the script, forging an unbeaten 107-run partnership with Mayank Agarwal for the fifth wicket.
former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody, in an interview with Cricinfo, hailed Jitesh’s performance as the best innings of the current IPL season. “In my opinion, this has been the standout innings of the season so far,” Moody asserted. “We’ve seen some brilliant knocks from both young and experienced players, but this one stands out. The conditions were far from ideal, yet he chose to ignore them and shifted the momentum of the game. His batting was a masterclass in intelligence and composure, making it seem like he’s done this many times before.”
By achieving this feat, Jitesh has etched his name into the annals of cricketing history. Notably, his innings surpassed MS Dhoni’s seven-year-old record for the highest score by a batsman at number 6 or lower in a successful IPL run chase. As the Royal Challengers Bangalore claimed victory with 8 balls to spare, it became clear that Jitesh’s game-changing knock would be remembered for a long time to come.