THERE was never any doubt about his ability. But India and Vidarbha wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma somehow could not hit that right button to signal his arrival on big stage of the Indian Premier League. However, Tuesday, that saw a lot of drama unfold when Royal Challengers Bengaluru took on Lucknow Super Giants, was his day. He was destined to etch his name in golden letters for his franchise RCB. Jitesh did not have a fifty in the cash-rich league till that game and he would not have had one but for that sheer luck. He got out on 49. Digvesh Rathi dismissed him but it turned out to be a no ball and that too a back foot no ball! The next ball, a free hit, was duly deposited among the fans for his first IPL half century. Soon, another incident happened.

 

Jitesh, when on 57 from 25 balls, was run out at the non-striker’s end when Rathi broke the bails and the batter was out of his crease. TV umpire Ulhas Gandhe deemed that Rathi had completed his delivery stride before effecting the run out and thus Jitesh was declared not out. Just when message was being flashed on the big screen at the ground, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant gestured that he had withdrawn the appeal exchanging hugs with Jitesh. That meant even if Gandhe had ruled the batter out, Pant suggested he would have withdrawn the appeal, which he was entitled to as the skipper. And, then Jitesh did not stop. The knock, ultimately, turned out to be the best one for that position in IPL history. He went on to remain unbeaten on 85 off 33 balls as RCB reached the target of 228 with six wickets and eight balls to spare. There was crucial contributions from Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal. It was RCB’s highest successful chase in IPL and third highest overall in the tournament’s history. Jitesh’s knock became a new IPL record for the highest score by a number 6 or lower-order batsman in successful run chases.

 

He bettered Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s earlier record of 70 runs against RCB in IPL 2018. The result confirmed RCB’s place in Qualifier 1, where they will face table-topping Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday in Mullanpur. Thanking the almighty after the match-winning effort, Jitesh said, “I can’t express my feelings right now and can’t describe this innings in words. When Virat got out I thought of taking the game deep and that is what my mentor DK (RCB coach Dinesh Karthik) tells me that the kind of calibre I have I can finish the game from any situation. “This was the game to show my team-mates and everyone that I am capable to win the games. I was very emotional after winning the game for my team and for RCB fans and give a chance to win that Cup.”

 

Agarwal, who shared an unbeaten record 107 runs partnership with Jitesh, was full of praise for the Vidarbha batter. “What Jitesh Sharma did was spectacular. Seeing Jitesh in his zone and when somebody’s batting like that, you don’t need to say much and I just gave him that strike, He had been just phenomenal.” RCB mentor Karthik appreciated Jitesh’s hard work. “Jitesh Sharma has worked really hard on how to chase such a big total, how to remain calm. We saw the results tonight,” said the former India stumper.