The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won a thrilling game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday thanks to a classic where the star played an explosive knock with the bat and kept his nerves in the crucial 19th over of the second innings which ended up being a one-run victory for the defending champions.
Andre Russell’s 57 off 25 deliveries made sure that the Knight Riders reached a total of 200+ and also led to many experts praising him. Former India opener and commentator was also pleased with the innings from the Jamaican powerhouse, where he also mentioned that he liked the decision of the Kolkata franchise to move him up the batting order. The former KKR player said that it was good to see Russell get more deliveries to showcase his explosive batting in the game.
“KKR did a good job this time. They were going sort of okay as the total was 80-odd after 10 overs, but then they sent Andre Russell in the 13th over itself. Then Andre showed why they should give him more balls. Our throats had gone sore asking you to make him bat and play more balls,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“He had played 55 balls in total before this match. Total 55 balls till the 10th game mark, not good enough. I wasn’t getting a chance to say ‘Andre andar gend baahar (Andre in, the ball is out).’ He hit sixes and took them to the cleaners. Rinku Singh also contributed, but Andre Russell, the batter, has finally arrived in the IPL, and he has come at a good time,” Chopra added.
Their last match could be the decider: Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also talked about the journey KKR has had throughout the season as well and said that the game against the Royals has kept them alive in the tournament, and their next two matches will be against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings, which will be great matchups. The 47-year-old also mentioned that their last game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) could be the decider for them as well.
“KKR are at No. 6 at the moment. They were at No. 7 before this match. LSG have now already slipped to No. 7. KKR’s remaining matches are good match-ups. CSK at home, they can beat them, considering CSK’s form, although they played well in the last match. SunRisers Hyderabad, it’s an away game, but it’s SunRisers Hyderabad. They can be caught,” Chopra said.
“Their last match could be the decider, because if they reach 15 points, they would need two points in the last match against RCB. They can get to 17, and 17 might just be enough. They started the season with a loss against them, and if they end it with a win, you never know what story this team is scripting,” the former KKR opening batter concluded.
