KKR vs PBKS: Such A Relief To See Him Hit So Cleanly - Shreyas Iyer On Andre Russell
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer was mighty impressed with Andre Russell’s match-winning knock in their third game of the IPL 2022 season against Punjab Kings on Friday.
Russell smashed eight sixes and two fours en route to a 31-ball 70 that turned the match from a close contest into an extremely one-sided affair. KKR eventually won the match with 33 balls to spare, which ended up boosting their net run rate.
“It was such a relief to see him hit so cleanly. Simply outstanding hitting – it was Russell muscle, for serious,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
“We were stunned – we didn’t expect them to come so hard, especially losing a wicket in the first over. But when I saw them timing it so well, I thought I could as well.”
“[Front-loading bowlers?] We got early wickets after the Powerplay so my mindset was if I get wickets as much as possible… my plan was to get the best bowlers when they had hard-hitters coming in,” he said.
“He’s been putting in the hard yards at practice” – Shreyas Iyer on Umesh Yadav
Despite Russell’s blitzkrieg, the Player of the Match award went to the pacer, Umesh Yadav. He took 4/23 in four overs and is also the holder of the purple cap with eight wickets in three matches.
“I was just having a chat with Umesh. He said he’s getting older but I told him he’s getting fitter and stronger. He’s been putting in the hard yards at practice. He’s hungry and wants the team to win. He’s been a great colleague to work with,” Iyer concluded.
KKR top the table with two wins in three matches, having defeated CSK and lost to RCB in their first two games.
