New Delhi: Andre Russell's golden mo-hawk stands out from quite a distance. That could be his fashion statement, but for KKR, the Caribbean is making cricketing statements with his all-round talent. KKR couldn't thank Russell enough as his twin strikes in the tenth over and the third in the 18th over, which broke an important 65-run stand between Virat Kohli and Mandeep Singh, got the side to claw back in style.
Why Russell's bowling will stand out could simply be put down to the fact that he picked up all his wickets at a time when the hosts were on top. RCB were well placed at 74/1 when he got the dangerous Brendon McCullum with a short ball that picked up a faint edge on it's way to the keeper. Next ball, he splattered Manan Vohra's timber, stunning him with pace. His figures read 1-0-5-2 while RCB's flashed in red -- 75/3. Caution was the word written ahead.
But till the time Virat Kohli remains on the crease, he is capable enough to transform any situation into a good one. And even after RCB were wounded by Russell's heavy jabs, Kohli and Mandeep Singh took them on and managed to stitch an important 65-run stand. The duo managed to milk bowlers and take RCB's score to 140 in 17 overs. Russell began his third over and got hit for a six and a single. But Russell landed another blow as Mandeep holed out to mid-wicket the third ball. Once again Russell had manipulated in swinging the momentum KKR's favour. Even a slight lull could prevent a team from reaching a par total.
Russell might have got hit in the end, as his figures of 3/31 suggest, his contribution certainly helped Dinesh Karthik halt a strong RCB to 175. Kohli lead from the front and remained unbeaten on 68 from 44 balls.
