Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir has revealed how his team once end up signing one of its biggest matchwinners in Andre Russell who is now outperforming everyone in the IPL 2019.
Russell is in some incredible form with the bat and has lit up the ongoing IPL season with some dangerous power-hitting ability at the death, aggregating 207 runs across just four innings at a jaw-dropping strike-rate of 268.83, having faced only 77 balls to score that many.
But it was on Friday (April 5) that he perhaps struck the most unforgettable knock of them all, versus Royal Challengers Bangalore. KKR needed 67 runs from 26 balls to win when Russell walked up to the crease. The visitors looked unlikely to chase down the 206-run target set by RCB on the back of Virat Kohli (84) and AB de Villiers (63) at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore.
But then Russell pulverized the RCB bowling attack and scored three sixes in the 18th over. The Caribbean all-rounder smashed four more maximums during the penultimate over and made a mockery of a very stiff challenge.
KKR comfortably reached home in 19.1 overs and won the match by five wickets to move up second in the IPL 2019 points table with three victories - six points - after four encounters so far.
"A lot of people ask me how KKR discovered Andre Russell," wrote Gambhir in his column for Times of India. "Was it modern-day cricket analytics? Was it a genius head-hunter who recommended him? Or was it a masterstroke at the auction table?"
"Being a former KKR captain I can tell you that it was none of the above. It was a classic case of not finding a table at the best Italian restaurant in your city and ending up at a lesser known joint. Let me explain."
"In 2013-14 we were searching for a backup for the great Jacques Kallis. One of the very few options available was Russell. Till then he had played two seasons for Delhi. With 58 runs in seven games, Russell was the lesser-known Italian joint waving at the customers passing by."
"They would stop, look, ponder, and move on. KKR booked a table purely as there was no choice. And the Rs 60 lakh price tag for Russell didn't hurt at all," he concluded.
