Virat Kohli's over-the-top celebration pumped me up to beat RCB in 2019: Andre Russell

Indian captain Virat Kohli has been a prolific run-scorer in international level as well as in Indian Premier League (IPL) for many years. The right-handed batsman leads Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL and he is known for his aggressive and sometimes over-the-top celebrations on the field. Apparently, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell believes that Virat Kohli’s celebration once led to RCB’s downfall as the West Indian T20 heavyweight recalls his incredible 13-ball knock in 2019.

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Andre Russell recalls KKR win over Virat Kohli and RCB in 2019

Andre Russell was recently involved in an interview with TV presenter Sanjana Ganesan on KKR’s official YouTube channel. In the interview, he was asked to recollect one of his most unforgettable knocks in recent memory, i.e. his match-winning 13-ball 48* against RCB at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Russell said that he was “triggered” to romp through the RCB’s bowling attack after witnessing Virat Kohli’s aggressive celebration in the middle.

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In the match, KKR were chasing an imposing 206-run target set by the RCB on the back of Virat Kohli’s 84 from 49 balls. Russell came on to bat when KKR required 67 runs from 26 balls and a while later, he lost his batting partner Dinesh Karthik at the other end. The all-rounder recalled that his captain’s dismissal led to some over-the-top celebration by Virat Kohli as the RCB skipper turned to the direction where KKR CEO and wives of the players were sitting. Andre Russell then narrated the moment when Virat Kohli shouted “come on” while looking at them, thus “triggering” the head of the all-rounder.  

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Continuing the story, Andre Russell then requested his new batting partner Shubman Gill to hand him most of the strike during the remainder of the run-chase. What followed was a sequence of boundaries in a sparkling six-hitting exhibition as Russell smacked RCB bowlers all over the stadium. His last nine balls yielded 47 runs and KKR overhauled their target with five balls to spare.

Andre Russell 48* (13) vs RCB in IPL 2019, watch video

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