New Delhi [India] April 30 : All-rounder Andre Russell was elated as his team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday, his birthday.
A fightback from spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in the final moments assisted defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in returning to victory, defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by 14 runs at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Tuesday.
Russell acknowledged the team effort, highlighting the importance of getting runs on the board and capitalising on the opponent's mistakes. He celebrated the win on his birthday and credited his clear mindset and plan, emphasizing his commitment to bowling yorkers.
"I asked the guys in the meeting today that I wanted a win. This is the most amazing T20 league. Happy they scheduled this match on my birthday, thanks for that. It was a total team effort from the guys. Getting runs on the board that was crucial. They made mistakes (in the middle overs) and we got those wickets. Just a happy day. Just had one plan, had to be clear as I was going to bowl six yorkers, that was the mindset. Told the skipper the same," Russell said in the post-match presentation.
Russell made an important 17 runs in 9 balls, which powered KKR post 204 in the first innings. With the ball, he took a wicket and gave ways 22 runs in two runs. He bowled the important last over in the second innings, where he cleaned up DC batter Vipraj Nigam.
Russell emphasised the importance of simplicity and clarity for bowlers, especially at the death.
He acknowledged the team's inconsistent batting but expressed confidence in their ability to score good totals.
He praised Narine's impact, highlighting his crucial contribution in a key over and his leadership qualities. Russell also commends Varun's performance, showcasing the team's depth and ability to defend totals.
"Once you don't confuse yourself as a bowler, you do good. We have to keep it simple as bowlers, especially at the death. We haven't clicked as a batting unit this season, but we still get good totals. Maybe three batters have a good night out of the six or seven batters. I still back the guys, the confidence is still there. We just try to execute our skills and plans, don't need to think too much. Bringing himself (Narine) back was crucial at that (14th over) time, he got big wickets in that over, that's where we started believing in ourselves. Varun had one over at the back-end where he picked two wickets. It shows we have a good unit. We have bowlers to defend such totals. Narine is very active on the field. A lot of guys misjudge him. On the park, he is a leader. He has been more talkative over the last five years. He enjoys his performance, and that is quite evident on the field," Russell added.
Coming to the match, DC was in a commanding position at 136/3 in 14 overs while chasing 205. However, Narine (3/29) and Varun (2/39) delivered commendable comeback spells, restricting DC to 190/9 despite half-century from Faf Du Plessis (62 in 45 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and useful cameos from skipper Axar Patel (43 in 23 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Vipraj Nigam (38 in 19 balls, with five fours and two sixes).
Now, KKR is in seventh spot with four wins and five losses, earning them eight points. DC is in fourth place with six wins and four losses, with 12 points. At home, they have won just one out of four games so far.
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