Told Harshit to calm down before the final over: Shreyas Iyer

Andre Russell’s all-round show trumped Heinrich Klaasen's blistering innings in Kolkata Knight Riders’ 4-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 3 of IPL 2024. Russell picked 2/25 with the ball in KKR’s defense. However, his bigger contribution was with the bat when the Jamaican cricketer hammered 64 not out off only 25 deliveries. 

Russell has gone through his ups and downs in the last few years. In the last edition of the IPL, Russell averaged only 20.6 with the bat without scoring a fifty. In the 2020 season, he averaged only 13 with the bat. 

“Over the last year or two, bowlers have been exceptionally good to me. I'm still figuring out how to score. I realize everyone is coming to me with a plan,” Russell said after accepting the Player of the Match in the post-match presentation.

“Sometimes I realize how I'm striking the ball. I just try to react to whatever comes my way.

“I've been a permanent fixture in the XI [since making it there]. What I did tonight is just to say 'keep supporting'. I am happy to contribute with this jersey on,” the all-rounder elaborated about his knock against SRH and support from his franchise. 

For KKR, Harshit Rana pulled the game back in the final over of Hyderabad’s run chase. Needing 13 to win off the final over, Klaasen deposited the first delivery for a six. It seemed like SRH will cross the finish line with ease but Rana’s slower ones allowed only two runs from the final five deliveries. 

“Harshit's body language was on point in the last over; he wanted the ball. If he was shying away from it, it could have gone their way. With the first ball gone for six, he still got the job done,” Russell said on Rana’s final over. 

Shreyas Iyer, the KKR skipper, mentioned Harshit was nervous coming into the last over. “Harshit was a bit nervous when he was coming to bowl the last over,” Iyer said. “I told him, 'Even if we lose, it's fine'. I tried to calm him down as much as possible,” the skipper told Rana. 

"Right from the 17th over I had butterflies in the stomach! To be honest, I thought anything can happen in the last over,” Iyer shed light on his nerves as well. 

Alongside Russell, the other KKR veteran, Sunil Narine also contributed with his miserly figures of 1/19 in four overs. 

“Narine and Russell have got such experience. Elated to see how Russell performed with bat and ball. Sunny executed well. It is a luxury to have them in the team,” the KKR captain summed up the win.