BENGALURU: Of the 13 times, Andre Russell walked in to bat for Kolkata Knight Riders in the last IPL, he played as a No 6 or 7 in seven matches. He had also voiced his interest at batting higher up the order, and grabbed his chance at No 3 against Mumbai Indians, scoring 40-ball 80.
That was just an one-off occasion, but things could change this season with team mentor David Hussey hinting about promotion for the Jamaican.
There are certain things, which work in the all-rounder’s favour. Allowing him to bat at three would mean Russell will have more time to bat, which could result in Kolkata putting a huge total on board.
Last season, despite batting in the lower order on most matches, he finished as the top-scorer for Kolkata with 510 runs at a strike rate of 204 and an average of 56.66.
“If it (Russell’s promotion) benefits the team and helps us win matches, why not? If that means Andre Russell comes to bat at number three, and bat 60 balls, he might make a double hundred. Anything can happen with Russell. He is a fantastic player and he is probably the heartbeat of the team. We have well balanced players throughout the (batting) list, anyone can bat in any different position,” said Hussey.
His current form in the Caribbean Premier League, will also help him. Playing for Jamaica Tallawahs, though not at number three, he has looked in great form, scoring three half centuries in his last four outings.
Besides, he will come into the tournament with some good competitive matches under his belt. The same can be said for players like Tom Banton, Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan, who are playing in the Australia- England T20I series presently.
In fact, if one considers form as a criteria for selection, England opener Banton has caught the eyeballs with solid show in the recently concluded T20I series against Pakistan. He had scores of 46, 20 and 71.
Earlier, in his maiden Big Bash League, he managed 223 runs with a strike rate in excess of 170. “Tom Banton, what a player! He takes the game on. He is probably the new version or the better version of Kevin Pietersen, I believe,” Hussey said.
With such players in their ranks, they look a good unit. But there are concerns regarding the domestic players in the squad, who lack experience.
Barring skipper Dinesh Karthik and Kuldeep Yadav, the likes of Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna among others have not played much at the top level. But Hussey is not breaking much sweat.
“It is upto the overseas players to pass on that experience to the youngsters. I see that the youngsters are fiercely courageous, they take the game on. We have really talented fast bowlers, who execute their skills. In terms of batting, we have got some of the best young guys going around,” said Hussey.