Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 28 : Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Mayank Agarwal struggled to find words to describe the bewitching heroics of stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma, who left Lucknow Super Giants gobsmacked in the final group stage fixture of the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Ekana Stadium.
Bengaluru trounced the Super Giants in Lucknow with a six-wicket triumph and eight balls to spare, courtesy of Jitesh's unbeaten 85-run blitzkrieg to power the touring party into the second spot at the expense of Gujarat Titans. During RCB's record-shattering 228-run chase, Mayank witnessed Jitesh's blitzkrieg firsthand and played second fiddle during their unbeaten 107-run stand.
He arrived at the crease after the eighth over when RCB had lost Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone on two consecutive deliveries. Mayank outlined the plan the duo quickly framed to pull off the third-highest successful chase in the cash-rich league's history.
"There is very little talking to do. I just had to give the strike, and I think it was a wicketkeeper's game. Jitesh put up a show, and he was simply outstanding. There are no words to describe what he did," Mayank said after the match.
"We were just calculating, and the wicket was good enough to target the fast bowlers. It builds a lot of confidence, momentum and belief as well. We could not do it last game, but we definitely made amends, and the captain led from the front. When I came, we lost two quick wickets. The plan was to build a partnership, and we knew the wicket was good enough," he concluded.
Bengaluru's heist was filled with ups and downs. Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant's rollicking 118 lifted the hosts to a herculean 227/3. In reply, Virat Kohli and Phil Salt laid the foundation by exploiting Lucknow bowlers in the powerplay. Jitesh and Mayank picked up the momentum and steered Bengaluru to the franchise's highest run-chase in the tournament's history.
After finishing second in the group standings, Bengaluru has booked a date with Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on Thursday, while Gujarat will square off against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on Friday.
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