Kolkata Knight Riders won a final ball thriller against SunRisers Hyderabad on Saturday, 23 March at the iconic Eden Gardens. Playing their opener in the Indian Premier League, the match turned out to be a high-scoring thriller as the KKR narrowly won by 4 runs despite scoring 208 in their first innings of the game. Andre Russell was adjudged the player of the match after his tremendous all-round show against SRH in Kolkata on Saturday.
Russell hit 7 sixes and 3 fours during his innings reaching the milestone of 200 sixes for KKR. The West Indies cricketer was the first one in the history of the tournament to achieve the same for KKR and got emotional while speaking about the franchise in the post-match presentation ceremony. The all-rounder said that he had been an integral part of the franchise since the time he started playing for Kolkata and thanked the side for showing faith in him.
“I’ve been a permanent fixture in the 11th, so I’m just happy to keep contributing and this franchise means a lot to me. They have shown faith and confidence in me over the years. So what I did tonight is just to say keep supporting and I’m happy to contribute every time I put this jersey on,” Russell said in the post-match presentation on Saturday.
I HAVE TO BE READY: ANDRE RUSSELL
The West Indies all-rounder explained that the bowlers had been planning specifically for him over the least few years and he had been trying beat them in mental chess whenever he came out to bat. Russell was confident and stressed that he was ready for any kind of plans that anyone would cope up with while bowling against him.
“Sometimes stuff pops up on my Instagram and I realise how well I’ve been striking the ball, which is just a cool reminder to know that you’re doing well. So I’m happy with the way I’m batting and grateful for the win tonight,” Russell said.
| KKR vs SRH – Scorecard | Highlights |
“I just try to react to whatever comes my way. I know, based on the last year or two, bowlers have been exceptionally good at bowling to me, and they plan very carefully when they bowl to me. So I’ve been digging runs out in the back end, and I’m still figuring out how to score because they’re going to have their plans. I realise everyone is coming to me with a plan, so I have to be ready,” concluded the KKR all-rounder.
With the win, KKR started their campaign on a positive note and will now play Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their next fixture on March 29.
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