In the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) the explosive power and consistency are two traits which have been seen in a single player which is unusual to see and the player is none other than Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) West Indies import Andre Russell. Nicknamed ‘DreRuss’, the Jamaican has taken consistent explosiveness to a whole different level in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019.
Russell is having the best batting strike rates in IPL 2019 and his consistency is reflected by the 392 runs scored in 10 innings at an astounding average of 65.33. He has smashed as many as 41 sixes so far this season and is trailed by fellow Jamaican Chris Gayle (31 sixes) whose advice helped him become the hard-hitter he is today.
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As per the quotes in icc-cricket.com, during BBC’s Doosra podcast, DreRuss said, “Chris Gayle changed my life in terms of power hitting. I’ve learned a lot from him. I used to use lighter bats, but when you make contact with a light bat, it doesn’t go anywhere. During the World Cup, he (Gayle) came to me and said, ‘Russ, you’re better than that. You can use bigger bats, you’re strong’.”
The KKR all-rounder described his knock played during 2016 T20 World Cup in India as the moment that changed his life. Describing that knock, he said, “2016, when we won the (T20) World Cup in India, that year changed my life. That semi-final onwards, where I scored 48 (43) runs for West Indies. Now my bats are (bigger). There’s a lot of mechanics behind my bats, I play around with them a lot.”
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Russell has a special place for the KKR in his heart as the management stood by him during his tough times. He said, “When I got banned in 2017, I was depressed. I do not cry easily, but to see Venky Mysore (KKR CEO) take up the phone and say they were going to retain me through that time, water filled my eyes. They know me, that’s the thing about family. I owe these performances to them.”
The KKR star has compensated that faith with his consistent power-hitting and helping his side win matches single-handedly, on more than one occasion.
