"It was Russell muscle" - Shreyas Iyer praises KKR all-rounder after match-winning show vs PBKS
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer was blown away by Andre Russell's brutal hitting against Punjab Kings on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium.
Chasing 138 runs, the West Indian hard-hitter put on a show against the Punjab bowlers. He eventually remained unbeaten on 70 runs from 31 balls in a knock that included eight massive sixes and two boundaries.
Kkr is so much stronger with Andre Russell in the best mode! #KKRvsPBKS
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer said:
"To be honest, I was so relieved to see him (Russell) hitting like that, it was Russell-muscle for sure."
Incidentally, Russell copped criticism from certain sections after KKR's defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for being injury-prone. Many even suggested that retaining the veteran all-rounder was a huge gamble.
However, the Jamaican cricketer has put all the speculation to bed with a power-packed innings. The 33-year-old cricketer scored at a rate of 225.81, as Kolkata chased down the total with 33 balls to spare. Sam Billings, who witnessed the unreal hitting from the other end, remained unbeaten on 24 off 23 balls.
While the story might portray a different picture, KKR were struggling at 51/4 in seven overs. However, Andre Russell took the onus on himself and turned the game around.
"They basically make my job easier" - Shreyas Iyer lauds KKR spinners
Punjab came out all guns blazing in the powerplay despite losing captain Mayank Agarwal early in the innings. Bhanuka Rajapaksa launched a counter-attack, hitting 31 off nine balls to set the innings going. However, Shreyas Iyer was smart enough to introduce his spinners to pull the brakes.
Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy were spot on with their line and length to dry up the runs. Although they only managed to pick up one wicket, the duo conceded just 37 runs in their eight overs combined.
Iyer is happy to have Sunil and Narine at his disposal and pointed out that they are always a step ahead with their strategies. He added:
"They basically make my job easier. On the field, they come up with their own strategies. In the team meetings, they already have come up with plans for each batter and they know their strategies very well."
The 28-year-old KKR captain also spoke highly of veteran pacer Umesh Yadav, who has been in spectacular form. The Vidarbha-born pacer, who has played only two IPL games in the last two seasons, has already picked up eight wickets in the tournament.
.@y_umesh played just 2 games in last 2 seasons in the IPL. And even with the Indian team he only gets a game when someone's injured or rested. But such is his attitude that you never see him complain. Warms my heart to see him do well. One of the good guys. #KKRvPBKS #IPL2022 https://t.co/MFDwiNgJWr
Umesh has used the new ball to perfection and has provided KKR with superlative starts in all three matches so far. Shreyas Iyer is impressed with Umesh Yadav's hunger to succeed. He concluded:
"I was having a chat with him, he was saying, 'I'm getting older.' I said, 'You're getting fitter as you get older.' I see him everywhere, I go to the gym, he's there. Every training session he's in, there's a hunger in him to perform well."
With four points in their kitty, Kolkata Knight Riders are currently at the top of the IPL 2022 points table.