Last Update on: May 25th, 2021 at 03:48 pm
Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Andre Russell recently opened up on the heartbreak he endured during the 2018 edition of the IPL where the two-time champions got beaten by SunRisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 02.
Needing 175 to win, Kolkata Knight Riders were well placed at the halfway mark with their score reading 2/93 thanks largely to a whirlwind knock by Chris Lynn.
However, Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan proceeded to claw back SRH back in the game by taking three quick wickets within the space of the next three overs.
While Khan dismissed Robin Uthappa and a well-set Chris Lynn (48 off 31 balls), Shakib Al Hasan knocked over Dinesh Karthik for a six-ball 8.
However, Dre Russ (3 off 7 balls) failed to live up to expectations as Rashid Khan flummoxed him with a googly and induced an outside edge of his bat which was easily gobbled by Shikhar Dhawan at first slip.
Shubman Gill tried his best with a breezy 20-ball 30 but KKR eventually fell short by 14 runs.
The dream of making it to the final for the first time since 2014 was shattered and so disappointed was Andre Russell that he proceeded to go into the show with his cricket kit on and stayed there with water running all over him.
“When I got out to Rashid Khan, I got back inside and went into shower with my cricket clothes on. My shoes and everything was wet. I was just there with the water running all over me because (the loss meant) it was basically the last game (of the season).” revealed Andre Russell in a video shared by KKR.
Russell further lamented on the kind of stroke that he played. He admitted that he started to overthink the game and had he stayed for a bit longer, KKR would have won the game.
“I didn’t get out being Dre Russ.I started to overthink the game. That was actually a ball I could have put away, and that’s the moment where I knew I had messed up. If I was still batting at the back end, we would have won comfortably.” admitted Andre Russell.
“I was just disappointed with myself. That’s why I went into the shower with everything wet. I was happy that no one saw me that way because it was embarrassing. People would have been like – ‘Are you losing it?’ I realised (from that incident that) if a bowler feels you are scared to lift your bat, they are gonna be all over you. You have to back off a bowler by playing shots sometimes.” he added.
Rashid Khan was adjudged the “Player of the Match’ for scoring a 10-ball 34 besides taking 3/19 in four overs as SunRisers Hyderabad stormed into their second final in three seasons.
They, however, failed to repeat the heroics of 2016 as Chennai Super Kings, thanks to a whirlwind ton by Shane Watson, beat the “Orange Army” in the final to claim their third title.
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