Rasikh Salam’s match-winning spell against Lucknow Super Giants drew plenty of attention, but Jitesh Sharma was quick to push back against the idea that the pacer had suddenly arrived. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper-batter said Rasikh has always had the ability, and that the real difference now is how well he understands when and how to use his skills.

“He already had these skills that you’re seeing now, but what he has learned recently is how to use them,” Jitesh Sharma said at the post-match press conference. “When you get a good mentor, a good coach, and a good environment, you begin to understand how to use the weapons you have. When to use them, where to use them, and whether they are even required,” he added.

Jitesh also pointed to the hard work Rasikh had put in before this breakthrough.

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

RCB’s bowling unit delivered a superb all-round effort at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, restricting LSG to 146 and setting up a comfortable win. Rasikh was the standout performer, finishing with four wickets for just 24 runs in his four overs and striking at key moments to break the visitors’ resistance.

He first removed Aiden Markram early, then returned to dismiss Ayush Badoni and Mukul Choudhary when LSG were trying to rebuild. Rasikh later cleaned up Avesh Khan to complete his four-wicket haul and seal a memorable spell.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar also chipped in with three wickets, Josh Hazlewood kept the pressure on from the other end, and Krunal Pandya added two more. It was a complete bowling performance, but Rasikh’s night stood out as the clearest sign that his rise is the result of long-term work, not overnight luck.