RCB ke liye Jitesh Sharma ka 85 not out sirf ek innings nahi thi — yeh IPL 2025 ka sabse zabardast moment tha. LSG ke khilaf match mein, jab lag raha tha ki game haath se nikal gaya hai, tab Jitesh ne aake scene palat diya. Tom Moody aur Abhinav Mukund ne isko “season ki best innings” kaha — aur sach bole toh, unhone bilkul sahi bola.
Context: Impossible Lagta Chase
Lucknow ke Ekana Stadium mein, LSG ne Rishabh Pant ke 118*(61) aur Mitchell Marsh ke 67 ki help se 227/3 ka target diya. RCB ki shuruaat fast thi — Kohli aur Salt ne sirf 4 overs mein 50 jod diye. Kohli ne bhi 27 balls mein fifty thok di. Lekin fir Salt out hua, Kohli bhi gaya, aur 11.2 overs ke baad RCB 123/4 pe phas gaya.
ESPNcricinfo ke Forecaster ne RCB ki jeet ki probability sirf 21.09% batayi thi. Dikh gaya tha ki kaam tough hai.
Jitesh Ki Entry: Game-Changer Aaya
Number 6 pe aaya RCB ka stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma. IPL mein pehle kabhi fifty nahi maar paya tha, lekin chhoti-chhoti impactful knocks zaroor diye the. Aaj ki raat kuch alag hone waali thi.
Pehle ball pe hi chaukka, fir har over mein fire. Will O’Rourke ko 14th over mein 17 run mein uda diya. Field placements ko smartly read kiya, gaps dhunde, boundaries easily lagayi — ek dum calculated aggression.
Luck bhi mila, Lekin Use Cash Kiya
39 run chahiye the 24 balls mein. Jitesh ne ek reverse sweep maara Digvesh Rathi pe aur catch ho gaya — lekin no-ball nikli! TV umpire ne dekha Rathi ka pair crease ke bahar tha. Agle ball pe six, aur 22 balls mein pehli IPL fifty poori!
Wahi over mein Rathi ne non-striker end pe run-out karne ki koshish ki, lekin TV umpire ne bola delivery stride complete ho gaya tha. Rishabh Pant ne appeal wapas le li. Sportsmanship level max.
Abhinav Mukund ne bola — SRH ke against collapse ke baad Jitesh ne clearly seekh liya tha ki end tak rehna kitna zaroori hai.
