Virat Kohli Shatters Records Against GT With Incredible Will Jacks Partnership

In just a few overs, Virat Kohli and Will Jacks turned what was supposed to be a difficult 201-run chase for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against the Gujarat Titans (GT) into a child’s play. With their amazing six-hitting, the 2022 champions’ spin trio of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Sai Kishore, and pacer Mohit Sharma were all but destroyed. They brought back memories of Virat and AB de Villiers’ exploits in the 2016 season against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions, when they both struck hundreds and put up a 229-run partnership for the second wicket, sending the fans down memory lane.

Together, they scored 166 runs in only 73 balls, which helped their side win by nine wickets. While Jacks unleashed unparalleled carnage after reaching his fifty in 31 balls and completing his century in 41 balls, with five fours and ten sixes, going on a six-hitting frenzy, Virat slammed an unbeaten 70 in 44 balls, with three sixes and six fours to keep one end stable.

The following documents were altered and destroyed by Jacks-Virat while they were partners:

-10 balls: It took Jacks only 10 balls to turn a 50-run score into the winning hundred. In the IPL, this is the fewest wickets a player has needed to achieve 100. The previous record was set in 2013 against the now-defunct Pune Warriors by Chris Gayle, who reached three figures in only thirty balls and needed just 13 balls to get from a half-century to a ton.

-In the history of the IPL, this is just RCB’s second 200-plus run chase; the last one occurred fourteen years ago. Over the years, the Red and Gold team has provided a stage for superstar hitters like Virat, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Faf Du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Kevin Pietersen, and others to demonstrate their shown, world-class ability for the team, yet this disparity persisted. In March 2010 against Punjab Kings, Jacques Kallis (89*) and Robin Uthappa (51*) led RCB to a successful chase of 204 runs, their previous 200-plus run chase.

-RCB is the first team in the IPL to win by nine or more wickets after chasing more than 200 runs.

-Jacks hit a massive six to help the club win their third game and earn his century, but this thrilling franchise was still down 24 balls. Overtaking MI’s victory against RCB in 2023—when they had 23 balls remained while pursuing 200 runs—this is the biggest victory in terms of balls remaining in IPL history (and the joint-largest in all of T20 cricket).

-Virat displayed a level of skill and consistency against spinners that he had not showed in a while, as he bashed Rashid, Noor, and Sai with his very best game. Virat, who is renowned for attacking pacers more than spin, showed up for this game. Out of his 70 runs, he scored 61 runs against spin, which is the most he has ever made in a T20 innings. Additionally, he scored 240.90 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2016 (scoring 53 in 22 balls out of a total of 113 in 50 balls) and 188.46 against Gujarat Lions in 2016 (scoring 49 in 26 balls out of a total of 109 in 55 balls) against the spinners, which was his third-highest average against the spinners in the IPL.

-The Afghan T20 sensation Rashid Khan resumed his unforgiving journey in the IPL 2024, taking a crushing defeat. After Virat took a single in the 16th over, Jacks went all out to smash 6,6,4,6,6 in the following five balls, amassing 29 runs for the over. In T20 cricket, this is Rashid’s most costly over to date.

-Jacks scored the third-highest number of runs by a hitter in an IPL innings during middle overs, with Gayle hitting 105 runs against PWI in 2013 and Virender Sehwag scoring 107 runs against Deccan Chargers back in 2011. -Jacks scored 95 runs in the middle overs (seven to sixteen overs).

-Virat has scored 500 runs or more in seven different seasons. He is the only player to accomplish this accomplishment after David Warner and the first Indian to do it.

-Jacks has scored four T20 hundreds in 50 or less balls; his quickest came in 41 balls while playing for Pretoria Capitals versus Durban Super Giants (DSG) in the SA20 2024. In T20 cricket, Gayle (10), Maxwell (5), and Suryakumar Yadav (4) are the only players with four or more hundreds off fifty or less balls.

Prior to the game, GT overcame a sluggish start with the bat thanks to half-centuries from Shahrukh Khan (58 in 28 balls, with three fours and five sixes) and Sai Sudarshan (84 in 49 balls, with 12 fours and four sixes). With two fours and a six in his helpful 26* in 19 balls, David Miller assisted GT in reaching 200/3 in 20 overs.

Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, and Swapnil Singh each claimed a wicket.

Faf Du Plessis, the captain, left the game early in the run-chase after scoring 24 in 12 balls with three fours and three sixes, but Virat and Jacks put up a memorable combination to win the match for their team.

‘Player of the Match’ went to Jacks.

With three victories, seven defeats, and six points, RCB sits in last place. With four wins, six defeats, and eight points, GT is ranked seventh.