May 28 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Young England batting sensation Will Jacks opened up on the influence Virat Kohli has on the young players when they see him close quarters in a tournament like Indian Premier League. Jacks played alongside Kohli in Royal Challengers Bengaluru this season as the two batters were involved in a memorable partnership against Gujarat Titans this season. The English batter and Kohli shared an unbeaten 166-run stand for the second wicket as RCB won the match by 9 wickets. Jacks struck an unbeaten century off just 41 balls — including 28 runs from one Rashid Khan over — as Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down 200 with ease.
The 25-year-old also played a monumental role in RCB’s turnaround in the second half of the season as they managed to reach the playoffs with six wins in a row but the destructive batter missed the eliminator against RR. He scored 230 runs in 8 matches at a strike rate of 175.57 including a century and a fifty.
Jacks talked about his experience of playing in the cash-rich league and how it is similar to playing in international cricket.
“The big thing with the IPL is that every game is such an occasion, the crowd, the atmosphere,” Jacks told reporters on Monday, just over a week from England’s World Cup opener against Scotland in Barbados.
“Every game you feel like you’ve got to step up and that’s similar to international cricket.”
As for batting with Kohli, the 25-year-old added: “He’s a very good role model. The way he approaches all the training and every aspect of the game off the field, his intensity, everything he does is a 100 percent attention.
“He’s done it for such a long time and I can appreciate that as a young guy who often doesn’t want to do the hard yards, but you see him doing it and want to copy that.”
Jacks, whose England career currently consists of a mere two Tests, seven one-day internationals and 12 T20s, is looking forward to the upcoming T20 World Cup.
“Playing in a World Cup is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid. I’m really excited to do it,” he said. “It’s getting closer now and we’re building in the right direction.”
