Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma has a new nickname for his teammate Romario Shepherd.
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Romario Shepherd emerged to be RCB's new hero as he smashed an unbeaten 53 off just 14 deliveries against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
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Shepherd hit Khaleel Ahmed for 33 runs in the penultimate over of the first innings, which proved to be a deciding factor in yesterday's game against the five-time champions.
CSK fought well but fell short by just 2 runs as RCB brought up their eighth win of the tournament and sealed their qualification into the last-four stage with 16 points in their bag.
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Jitesh Sharma reveals what he calls the West Indian all-rounder
RCB's wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma calls his West-Indian counterpart as the 'Rhino' due to his immense hitting ability and power. Check out the video below.
Jitesh - Insaan ke Shrir mai Rhino 🦏 ki Power 🔥 ( On romario shepherd )#IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/tXSJObug1x
— CHIKU JI❤️💫 (@MaticKohli251) March 20, 2025
Speaking in one of RCB's intra-match videos, Sharma said, "The power of a rhino in a human body. I have never seen such power."
Shepherd's fifty was the second fastest in the history of the tournament. He played a similar innings earlier in 2024 where he hit Anrich Nortje of Delhi Capitals (DC) for 30 runs in an over while playing for the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Speaking about his nickname to IPLT20, Shepherd said, "I have that attacking nature. And I have the strength. So, I guess I am the rhino in the team. So I take that nickname head-on."
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He further spoke about his innings which left the fans in the stadium awestruck.
"I put in my shift. I had an idea of what they were trying to do. Was just trying to hit hard and flat. I had no time to gather information on the pitch, but I observed from the dugout, and our mentor had given us advice on what to do, so I had a head start."
Shepherd further thanked skipper Rajat Patidar and Tim David for providing him the confidence to play his natural game.
"They told me I can take the bowler on, hit it all. It’s the way Rajat communicated; he made me feel, ‘I’m the guy’, gave me confidence. Timmy was telling me to just hold my shape and swing from there as the ball was holding."
He further provided an insight into his way of approaching the game when he came out to bat and how David helped him with it.
"I wasn't thinking of a score, I was thinking ball by ball and trying to hit each ball for four or six. When I walked in, Timmy told me to relax and try, and I did exactly that."
Shepherd would be next seen featuring for RCB against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday, May 9, at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Ardonamau, Lucknow.