NEW DELHI: Andre Russell turned in a vintage performance at Eden Gardens on Sunday, hammering an unbeaten 57 off 25 balls to help Kolkata Knight Riders post a commanding 206/4 against Rajasthan Royals in their crucial IPL 2025 clash.
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The 37-year-old all-rounder smashed six sixes and four fours, sharing a blazing 34-run stand with Rinku Singh (19* off 6) in the final 11 deliveries.
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The innings not only helped KKR post a formidable total but also saw Russell become just the third batter to complete 1000 IPL runs at Eden Gardens, after Gautam Gambhir (1407) and Robin Uthappa (1159).
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Russell, who celebrated his 37th birthday recently, brushed off age concerns, saying: “I think age is just a number. Still feeling like 27. Happy with the performance tonight.”
He acknowledged that conditions were tricky early in his innings, and credited his decision-making against the spinners. “I was worried when I looked at the scoreboard. I never worry about dot balls but I realised the wicket was gripping,” Russell said during the mid-innings interview.
“I didn’t want to take risk against Theekshana, so when he came back to bowl, I took him on. Spinners were on, my strong point is to get away from the spinners as much as possible. They were bowling in good areas — Hasaranga was also bowling well — so I didn’t want to take them early on.”
“The wicket was a bit slow, it was gripping. I enjoy this role. The more overs I have, I can make an impact,” he added.
With KKR needing to win all four of their remaining games to reach the playoffs, Russell’s return to form couldn’t have come at a better time.
