Knew that hard length would work against him: Avesh Khan on how he planned the dismissal of Andre Russell's
India Today
Lucknow handed Kolkata a massive defeat on Saturday night at the Maharashtra Cricket Association in Pune. They managed to go to the top of the points table on the back of their 75-run victory against KKR.
Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by a massive margin of 75-runs in the Indian Premier League on Saturday, 7 May. The KL Rahul-led franchise put up a lovely display of cricket in the Maharashtra Cricket Academy Stadium in Pune to go to the top of the points table in the crucial stage of the competition.
Behind their victory was a crucial spell by LSG’s lead fast bowler - Avesh Khan, who managed to dismiss a dangerous Andre Russell, who was looking in menacing form. The power-hitter from West Indies brought his A-game on yesterday, hitting 45 off just 18 balls. With eight overs still to go in the game, it was possible that Russell and Sunil Narine could have taken the game away from the Lucknow franchise. However, Avesh put a cap on those plans, dismissing Russell in the second ball of the 13th over, to make sure Lucknow regained control of the game.
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Avesh was asked by Murali Karthik about how he planned against a rampaging Russell. Avesh delved into the matter and said that the idea was to go as fast as he could on hard length against the star KKR batsman.
“I had a word with KL bhai that even if I get hit for a six on a hard length ball, I will have to back myself, because we have seen him (Russell) getting out on similar lengths. I had the pace and we were successful,” Avesh said.
“Andre Russell’s wicket was my favourite as it was the game-changing moment,” he answered when asked about which wicket was his favourite.
Avesh further added that he was cherishing the responsibility of the lead fast bowler and his job was to take wickets and win games for the Lucknow franchise.
Avesh Khan has 14 wickets from 9 matches, and stands 10th in the list of leading wicket-takers in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League.
