KKR vs PBKS: Andre Russell reveals mid-pitch talk with Rinku after run-out, told him ‘bring home the bacon for us’

“I gave him a hug and said listen, bring home the bacon for us,” Russell revealed.

“He said ok big man, no worries.”

Rinku Singh then hit the last delivery by Arshdeep Singh to the square leg boundary for the victory.

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“In any other game, with any other batter, I am not sure I would have taken a run. I have never really done those things. I would rather back myself to bat the last delivery and get the job done,” Russell admitted.

“But when you have a guy like Rinku who has been so successful at the death, it gives confidence. He is a fearless player; wherever you bowl, he has a shot,” he said.

When asked what works best for Rinku, Russell said, “What goes well is that he is very calm. Rinku gets quickly into positions where he can face any delivery and have a shot for it. That is the key to his success. His technique is very simple. The way he picks up his bat and plays his shots, it has worked well for him. Whenever I get a chance to talk to him, I say stay humble. Very happy for him, and I love him as a brother. Just keep being consistent, is what I tell him.”

Even though the opposition was seemingly well prepared for him, their bowlers had no answers on the day. “He is always a massive player and a game changer, and our plan was to keep him quiet,” said former South African speedster and current PBKS bowling coach Charl Langeveldt in the post-match press conference.

But coming into bat in the 14th over of KKR’s innings with the scoreboard reading 115/3, Russell took little time to settle in and smashed three sixes in the over from Sam Curran to bring the target down to six runs off the final over.

After hitting those shots, one could see how he punched his hands into the bat and what it meant to contribute to his team’s success. So what is his mindset like in the middle?

“I was just thinking about getting three boundaries from the Curran over, and that is why I smashed him apart,” said Russell in the post-match presser.

“I wanted to ensure we got into the last over with the least amount of runs needed. I knew Arshdeep is pretty good at death, and you never know what can happen. We got three sixes and that was the icing on the cake and getting half a dozen was ideal for us in the last over,” he added.

Bowlers haven’t really allowed Russell to fire all cylinders this season and one of the tactics that has been employed against him is to fire it wide away from him. To counter it, Russell has his way of doing things.

“Bowlers have their plans, and we are not perfect. So I know even though they might have their plans, if they come close to me, it is in my zone. Suppose it is a bit too wide, then it is a wide delivery. So I stand on the off stump and counter the challenge. But you cannot stand there and expect every ball to be wide because the bowlers sometimes bluff and might bowl it straight,” he explained.

Revealing that he remembered how Curran got him out last year, round his legs, Russell said, “Even though the bowler might set a particular field, as a batter, you can’t be predicting that every ball is going to go away. You have to expect the other variations as well.”

After hitting two humongous sixes on the on-side, Russell also slashed one over the point region for a maximum and it was something that he was ready for. “Curran was bowling into my body and trying to force me to go towards the bigger side of the ground. I hit him for two sixes to the big side. So then I know he will not bowl in that area again because I think like a bowler even when I bat. When he bowled the slower cutter into the wicket, I gave myself that little room and used my hands, which was the small side,” he elucidated before adding, “When you actually conquer a team plan or a bowling plan, then Plan B is in the batters zone most of the time.”