Andre Russell, the all-rounder for Kolkata Knight Riders, said he felt ‘great’ after playing a match-winning knock against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday.
Thanks to Andre Russell’s unbeaten 70 off 31 balls, KKR struck 141/4 in 14.3 overs in reply to PBKS 137, winning by six wickets and making a joke of the chase at Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
“We play the game because we want to feel amazing,” says one player.I know what I can do in such situation. It was helpful to have someone like Sam at the crease who could rotate and help us get through the tough times. When I started sweating, I just announced, “I’m going.” I believed in myself, and that’s exactly what I did tonight. I’m excited to see the squad cross the finish line. I am willing to assist the team in whatever way they desire. In the end, I’d like to bowl. I am more than willing to bowl one in the powerplay if the captain requests it, but we have a fair number of bowlers “Russell remarked in a post-match press conference.
“We also have a few of people that can give one or two. I know I won’t bowl four overs every game, but if I bowl two overs, I’ll feel like an all-rounder and a part of the game. These things happen; some games will be straightforward, while others will need me to bowl a ball. I’m excited to bat as well, whack a couple sixes, and help the club in any way I can. Sunil was in front of me, followed by the other bowlers, and we were a couple wickets down,” he added.
KKR were in trouble at 51/4 but Russell put up a fantastic combination with Sam Billings and guided his team to victory.
Andre Russell
“I knew we’d be the two people who’d search for a way to work together.’Listen, let’s just bat a few overs and see what happens,’ I said Sam. However, we had to strike first since the left-arm orthodox was not spinning the ball and nothing was occurring. So we made the decision to take command on one end while looking for singles on the other. Chahar was not only bowling well, but he was also batting well. We didn’t want to take any chances by confronting him. “We knew things were going to become easier,” Russell explained.
PBKS were bowled out for 137 in 18.2 overs, with Umesh Yadav collecting four wickets for 23 runs to receive the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Despite losing their skipper Mayank Agarwal in the first over to Umesh Yadav, Punjab started energetically, as Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 31-run knock-off 9 balls allowed the 2014 finalists reach 50 runs in just 4.4 overs.
KKR, the two-time winners, took wickets at regular intervals, preventing any partnerships from blossoming.
Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy combined for eight overs, surrendering only 37 runs, with Chakaravarthy conceding only 14 in his four overs.
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