IPL 2025: Jitesh Sharma reveals how Kohli, Karthik, and Pandya motivated him against LSG in IPL 2025

Jitesh Sharma, who was suffering from cramps during the 70th and the last league stage match of the IPL 2025 (Indian Premier League) between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), opened up on how he was motivated to win the match for his side to qualify for Qualifier 1. The RCB skipper revealed how experienced members in the camp, like Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, and Krunal Pandya, motivated him.

Notably, for his magnanimous batting, Sharma was honoured with the Player of the Match Award. The RCB batter claimed that it was difficult to put into words. He added that his focus was to take the game deep as per the advice from his mentor, Dinesh Karthik. He added that having experienced players like Krunal and Virat in the dugout helped him.

"Words can’t describe how I'm feeling. When Virat bhai got out, my only focus was to take the game deep, just like my mentor Dinesh [Karthik] anna always advises. I started cramping up because the pressure was immense, but having legends like Virat bhai and Krunal bhai around kept me motivated," Sharma said during the post-match presentation.

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Jitesh's greatest performance in an IPL match

The night belonged to the wicketkeeper batter, as he led from the front and helped RCB chase their highest ever total. As a wicketkeeper, he claimed the catch of Mitchell Marsh. As a batter, Jitesh Sharma played an unbeaten 85*(33), which included eight fours and six sixes.

Sharma did not have an easy time in the middle, as he walked out to bat when RCB were down to 123/4 and needed 105 runs in 52 balls. Quite incredibly, Sharma scored 85 of the last 107 runs from his blade, which was a herculean effort. 

Interestingly, the right-handed batter closely survived some calls, which included a missed run-out chance, a dismissal off the no-ball, and a failed Mankading attempt. However, his resilience was stronger, as Sharma took his team home after suffering from cramps in the middle. He helped them chase 228 by 6 wickets with 8 balls to spare to end the league stage on a high.