IPL 2019: Dean Jones deciphers the techniques to stop the Andre Russell-storm

Russell has been in bludgeoning form in this edition's IPL.

Published - 06 Apr 2019, 18:39 IST | Updated - 06 Apr 2019, 18:39 IST

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Andre Russell has turned out to be a brute force to reckon with in the third edition’s Indian Premier League (IPL). The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won three of their first four matches and are in the top half of the points table. And in every victory, the hulk-like Jamaican emerged as the Player of the Match, courtesy of brutal hitting coming lower down the order in the batting lineup.

The only game where he didn’t win the award was against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi. Even in that encounter, he scored 62 runs and that after he was hit on the shoulders by a beamer from Harshal Patel. The 30-year-old screeched in pain, yet he carried on and took the bowlers to the cleaners. The knock also bailed the Knight Riders out of jail after early wickets.

Andre Russell muscling his away

In the opening match, he scored 49 not out to help KKR win the match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Eden Gardens. Even against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Russell notched 48 runs, this time batting first. However, his most brutal knock came against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) yesterday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Andre scored 48 runs from 13 balls with the help of one boundary and seven sixes. He strained for the first four balls, but a full-toss from Mohammed Siraj opened the floodgates for the batsman. He deposited the leather into the stands after which there was no stopping Dre-Russ. In the meantime, Dean Jones, the former Australian cricketer, tried to decipher the tactics to get Russell out.

Jones, also a commentator, uploaded a couple of videos, and along with graphics, explained the line and lengths to bowl to Russell. He captioned the video and wrote, “How to bowl to Dre Russell. #SelectDugout @StarSportsIndia 2/2,”