'Andre Russell is the Michael Jordan of T20 cricket' - KKR CEO Venky Mysore
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore recently spoke about his team's world-class all-rounders, and compared Andre Russell to basketball legend Michael Jordan.
In an exclusive interview with Indranil Basu on Sportskeeda Cricket's Facebook page, Mysore stated that the West Indian is undoubtedly the No. 1 all-rounder in T20 cricket.
When asked about KKR's strength, their stacked all-rounder department, the Bangalore native said that the team is fortunate to have someone of the stature of Russell in the team -
"We've been fortunate that Andre Russell has been the No. 1 T20 player in the world. You can say he's a batsman, bowler, all-rounder but he's just the No. 1 T20 player in the world. He's the Michael Jordan of T20 cricket. There's no question about it."
KKR are fortunate to have great all-rounders: Mysore
Venky Mysore also spoke about the all-round capabilities of Sunil Narine, who has revolutionised pinch-hitting at the top of the order. He said -
"A lot of people don't realise that Sunil Narine has been an outstanding all-rounder. Everyone knows how good he is as a bowler, but he's transformed himself into an all-rounder. That's because of the opportunities he has got at KKR and he has grabbed them with both hands."
The KKR CEO stated that the mystery spinner is an extremely valuable addition to any team, given his versatility and dependability. He also touched upon recent acquisition Pat Cummins and youngster Nitish Rana, who are useful with both bat and ball in hand.
Mysore said -
"It's incredible the role he plays - opening the batting, bowling at various stages whenever the captain wants him to. That makes it two really strong all-rounders. We are also very fortunate to have people like Pat Cummins and Nitish Rana."
Andre Russell has played 57 IPL games for KKR, scoring 1,342 runs at a mind-boggling strike rate of 188.75. The big-hitting Caribbean has also picked up 54 wickets for the Eden Gardens-based franchise, and is electric in the field as well.