‘Not happy at all’: Furious Russell ‘blames’ entire KKR team as GT’s big win | Cricket
Andre Russell’s form has not been good IPL 2023, He registered four single digit scores in his 8 innings and had a highest score of 38*. In the match against Gujarat Titans, he started off threatening with sixes against Rashid Khan but was not able to achieve the kind of grandeur that was expected of him in the least. The hard-hitting West Indies cricketer ended with a 19-ball 34 as Kolkata Knight Riders posted 179 for 7 against GT at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Russell made no effort to hide his disappointment in the mid-innings interview and said that he was not at all happy with the score that his team ended up on a calm batting track. “I am not happy at all with the total we got,” said Russell, who was dismissed by Mohammed Shami on the last ball of the match.
Asked how much he would have scored, the KKR star said that around 200 would have been an ideal score on this pitch, especially after a good start. “I think it is a 190-200 wicket so we are almost 20 short. We only have ourselves to blame,” he added.
Returning to the side after Jason Roy was ruled out due to back spasms, Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored his second half-century of the season as he hit seven sixes and five fours in his 39-ball innings.
But once rookie Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmed (4-0-21-2) dismissed him for 81 and compatriot Rashid Khan completed a fine catch, KKR lost the last wicket as Mohammed Shami (3/33) Few overs not used well. in 4 overs) and Irishman Josh Little (2/25 in 4 overs) played their parts to perfection.
At 135/5, KKR had the firepower of Andre Russell and Rinku Singh in 28 balls. But they could not cross the 200 mark, which always gives a team a psychological edge.
Rinku became Noor’s second victim while ‘birthday boy’ Russell could not express himself fully as GT bowlers restricted him to an unbeaten 34 off 19 balls (2×4, 3×6).
KKR could only manage 45 runs and lost three wickets in the last five overs.
Russell’s apprehension came true as GT easily chased down the target in the 18th over with 7 wickets in their bank. GT never looked in trouble in the chase of 180 and opener Shubman Gill got them off to a good start. There was a brief period when Gill (49) and Hardik Pandya (25) fell in consecutive overs as KKR clawed their way back into the match but once Vijay Shankar (51 off 24) and David Miller (32 off 18) were trapped Were. There was no stopping the defending champions, who notched up their fourth win in a row.
With this big win, GT moved to the top of the table.
