Agencies
England all-rounder Will Jacks smashed an unbeaten century off just 41 balls to help Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Gujarat Titans by nine wickets in the Indian Premier League.
Chasing 201 for victory, Jacks bludgeoned 10 sixes and five fours to help RCB reach their total with four overs to spare.
Jacks hammered 28 runs off one Rashid Khan over, including four sixes, and shared an unbeaten 166-run stand with Virat Kohli.
Kohli finished on 70 not out from 44 deliveries in RCB’s 206-1.
Gujarat Titans had earlier posted 200-3 from their 20 overs, with Sai Sudharsan top-scoring with 84.
Jacks, playing in his first IPL, is the third England batter to make a century at this year’s tournament after Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow.
“Initially when he came to bat, he was annoyed that he wasn’t able to strike the ball as he wanted to,” Kohli said of Jacks.
“The only talk was for him to stay calm. I was just happy to stay around and watch him go.”
Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell returned for RCB after taking a short “mental and physical break” and took 1-28 as the hosts fielded first.
Sudarshan shared an 86-run stand with Shahrukh Khan (58) and put on 69 runs with South Africa’s David Miller (26) to guide Gujarat to a decent total.
RCB lost Faf du Plessis at 40-1 but Jacks and Kohli combined well, Kohli reaching his 50 off 32 balls before his partner took over.
Jacks’ fifty came from 31 balls but he reached his century with a six off Afghanistan spinner Rashid just 10 deliveries later in an astonishing display of hitting.
ScorescColor:> Royal Challengers Bengaluru 206/1 (Will Jacks 100*, Virat Kohli 70*, Sai Kishore 1-30) beat Gujarat Titans 200/3 (Sai Sudharsan 84*, Shahrukh Khan 58, David Miller 26*; Swapnil Singh 1/23) by 9 wickets.
