Ahead of IPL 2025, in an interview, Jitesh Sharma had assured Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans that he would 'take care of everything' this season.
An opportunity presented itself on Tuesday, and the wicket-keeper-batter made true those words with a breath-taking 33-ball 88 to help RCB seal the coveted 2nd spot on the points table.
Sharma came to the fore to lead RCB to a six wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Tuesday.
In a match that was a do or die for RCB -- they HAD to win to seal a spot in Qualifier 1 -- the Ekana stadium watched in admiration as the stand-in skipper played the innings of his life.
At the toss, Jitesh elected to bowl first, a decision that at first seemed skewed as Rishabh Pant roared back to form with an unbeaten 118 off 61 balls to propel LSG to 227 for 3 in their 20 overs.
Chasing 228 for victory and a top-2 finish, Sharma came at a critical juncture and played a composed knock. His stroke-filled innings comprised four boundaries and 8 towering maximums.
Sharma exuded confidence from the moment he stepped out to bat. His positive batting was reflective of his mindset, never giving in during the chase.
Signed on for Rs 11 crore (Rs 110 million) at the auction, Sharma kept the faith of his fans and franchise.
RCB got off to a brilliant start in the chase thanks to Phil Salt and Virat Kohli who kept their feet on the pedal from the get go.
The openers took RCB to 60 for no loss in 5 overs. They lost Salt in the final over of the Powerplay.
Kohli and Impact Sub Rajat Patidar scored briskly but Kiwi pacer Will O'Rourke took two wickets off successive balls, first taking out the in-form Patidar and following it up with Liam Livingstone's wicket for a golden duck.
Kohli and Mayank Agarwal didn't let the bowlers settle despite the two quick scalps. The runs flew off their bats and soon Kohli got to a 50 with a boundary over extra cover -- his 8th 50 this season.
With Kohli in that fine mood, RCB had just the confidence needed to boost their chances.
But Avesh Khan broke the 33-run stand with Kohli's big wicket.
With the chase master gone and RCB needing 105 runs off just over 8 overs, they needed a partnership and an innings to inject life into the chase.
With the big-hitting Tim David sidelined from the game with injury, someone had to take the onus.
Out came Sharma, who got going from the outset, opening his account with a boundary over mid-wicket.
Sharma and Agarwal played fluently -- while Sharma was the aggressor, Agarwal was happy to rotate the strike -- and kept RCB in the hunt.
Sharma made his intentions clear when he clobbered O'Rourke for a four and a six to take 17 off the over. He then stuck into left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed whom he clobbered for 21 runs.
The 30 year old then brought up his maiden 50 in the 17th over with a six over deep mid-wicket, Digvesh Rathi at the receiving end.
The equation was brought down to 28 off 18 balls and O'Rourke was in for some more treatment as he was clobbered for 2 fours and 2 sixes before Sharma hit the winning runs with a six in the 19th over to take RCB home. It was the highest ever run-chase at the Ekana stadium.
Sharma was left speechless by his match-winning knock.
'I will not be able to express my thoughts! I can't believe I played that knock. When Virat bhai was out, I was just thinking of taking it deep. As my mentor and guru Dinesh [Karthik] anna says, just take it deep', Sharma said at the post-match presentation.
Sharma's form augurs well for RCB ahead of the play-offs as they chase their maiden IPL title.
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