Kolkata Knight Riders' power hitter Andre Russell minced no words in saying KKR's loss to RCB is a 'sweet and sour feeling'. Chasing a mammoth 214 to win, Kolkata Knight Riders fell short by 10 runs despite Russell and Nitish Rana's heroics in an Indian Premier League match at the Eden Gardens on Friday.
Russell smacked a 25-ball 65 with two fours and nine sixes while Rana contributed with an unbeaten 85 off 46 balls with nine fours and five sixes. However, in the end Moeen Ali defended 24 in the final over as RCB registered its second win in nine matches.
"You know when you lose cricket games like these, it’s a sweet and sour feeling. I just think that a four and six could’ve got us over the line," Russell said.
The Jamaican cricketer felt Kolkata Knight Riders lost the game in the middle overs. "Even though we should’ve restricted RCB for less than 200, I think the ball was in our court and we tossed the ball to their side. That’s what happened tonight. If we batted faster in the middle period, we would definitely get the runs with even balls to spare," he explained.
KKR was 79/4 in the 12th over, needing 133 runs in the last eight overs, when Russell came in to bat. "We have to go and regroup again, and have meetings about these things and discuss what we need to discuss and what to do at the right time," Russell said.
Read: Bangalore seals win despite Russell, Rana scare
The West Indian batsman also believed that batting up the order might make a difference for KKR. "I believe that but sometimes you have to flexible as a team. When you look at the makeup of our team, I would not mind going to bat at No. 4. I believe when I am at the crease, Virat Kohli is going to bowl his best bowlers to get me out.
"And those best bowlers will have less overs in the back end. So, even if I score 60 off 25 balls, I give the team that pump. Dale Steyn or maybe the other guys will have one over to bowl at the death and maybe, I think me going to bat early would definitely be a good thing for KKR," he said.
Also read: When Russell, Rana almost gunned down RCB's target
The 30-year-old said the team would love to take momentum from the partnership between him and Rana. "We are under pressure now and need to catch up from the back. I hope this momentum that we had in the last partnership between me and Nitish, can actually help us learn and give the guys the belief that it doesn't matter if we are chasing 220, we still can do it," he added.
Russell said he is never afraid of getting out and has a clear mindset of what allows him to do what he is doing now — taking the bowlers to the cleaners. "I'm not afraid to get out. I mean, this is cricket, it won't be the first or the last. What I am doing now, I could have been doing this three, four years ago. But every game I was playing, I was thinking that I have to score 50 or have to get wickets. If I don't, I'll be on the sideline because you have four or five other good international players on the sideline," he said.
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