Rasikh Salam always had it: RCB teammate credits LSG pacer's heroics

Rasikh Salam’s match-winning spell against Lucknow Super Giants earned praise from Jitesh Sharma, who dismissed talk of a sudden rise and insisted that the pacer has always had the requisite skills.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper-batsman credited experience and proper guidance to help Rasikh unleash his potential during their IPL 2026 clash.

RCB vs LSG: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

“He already had these skills that you see now, but recently he learned how to use them,” Jitesh said in the post-match press conference.

“When you get a good mentor, a good coach and a good environment, you start to understand how to use the weapons that you have. When to use them, where to use them and if they are even required,” he added.

“After that, you keep sharpening those weapons. When he played with me for Baroda, he worked a lot on his yorkers and slower ones. At this level, mistakes happen, but if you practice so much that it becomes muscle memory, then things start coming naturally in matches,” Jitesh said.

The RCB bowling unit produced a clinical performance to restrict LSG to 146 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, with Rasikh leading the charge alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood.

HOW RASIKH BREAKED LSG’S BATTING RULES

Rasikh’s spell excelled in both control and timing. He soon removed Aiden Markram before striking again to dismiss Ayush Badoni and Mukul Choudhary just as LSG looked to rebuild.

He came back to clean up Avesh Khan and finished with four wickets for just 24 runs in his four overs.

At the other end, Bhuvneshwar’s three wickets and Hazlewood’s control ensured the LSG batting unit had no respite, while Krunal Pandya chipped in with two wickets.

The result was a complete bowling effort, but the focus remained firmly on Rasikh, whose performance reflected not a sudden breakthrough but the result of years of behind-the-scenes work.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

16 Apr 2026 10:59 IST