Watch: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine hit mighty sixes to 'test' the former's new bat
Kolkata Knight Riders' swashbuckling all-rounders Andre Russell and Sunil Narine hit some humongous sixes while 'testing' the former's new willow.
The franchise shared a short video of the duo on the team's YouTube channel on Friday. The clip begins with Andre Russell changing the grip of his new bat. The 32-year-old Jamaican then hits the nets to assess the blade's power, cuffing mighty sixes over long-on and the sightscreen.
KKR gave the following caption to the video:
Russell, Narine Testing the Danger Russ Bats for KKR, IPL 2021
You can watch it here:
Sunil Narine and KKR's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar's watchful eyes panned on Andre Russell as he went about his business. Nayar also joked with Sunil Narine, sarcastically suggesting that Russell was hitting the ball like the West Indies spinner. To this, the off-spinner replied:
"No chance! Mine would probably just land inside."
Sunil Narine, intrigued by seeing how far the ball was traveling, took the bat from Andre Russell and tried it out himself. He also hit some brutal sixes over long-on, deriving appreciation from Nayar and Andre Russell.
The all-rounder duo also shared a moment of appreciation for the bat in between the session, with Andre Russell quipping: 'Bat's nice, eh?'
Can Andre Russell and Sunil Narine take KKR to their 3rd IPL trophy?
Andre Russell, player of the series in IPL 2019, had an unimpressive run in last year's edition of the tournament. The all-rounder could only muster 117 runs from 9 innings at a paltry average of 13. The experiment of using Sunil Narine as a pinch hitter at the top of the order also seemed to have run its course as he recorded a string of low scores.
KKR has only made a handful of adjustments to their team this year and their first eleven looks settled on paper. However, for KKR to reach the qualifiers, their star all-rounders will need to fire and contribute in all three departments.