Under-fire Jamaican star Andre Russell on Sunday silenced critics with a match-winning knock and his teammate Varun Chakravarthy revealed that the veteran all-rounder is keen to continue playing in the IPL for “easily six more years.” Russell, who turned 37 recently, had come under scrutiny for his patchy form this season after being retained by the defending champions for Rs 12 crore in a three-year deal ahead of the mega auction. With just 72 runs from seven innings at an average of 10.28, including four single-digit scores, questions were beginning to be raised about his place in the side.

However, on Sunday, the Jamaican turned back the clock with a blazing unbeaten 57 off 25 balls, powering KKR to 206/4 in a must-win clash at Eden Gardens. The hosts went on to edge out Rajasthan Royals by a solitary run in a thrilling finish to keep their playoff hopes alive.

“As far as I have spoken to him and interacted with him, he still wants to play another 2-3 cycles of IPL which is easily six more years,” Chakravarthy said of Russell in the post-match media interaction.

One cycle refers to three seasons between mega auctions, meaning Russell is aiming to stay with KKR well into his 40s if form and fitness permit.

“He looks fine and fit. It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you are able to contribute to the team, that’s enough. In franchise cricket, they are not going to question you,” said Chakravarthy.

Russell, promoted up the order, initially struggled against spin, scoring just 2 off his first 9 deliveries, as Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga kept things tight.

But Chakravarthy dismissed the notion that Russell is a limited batter who only thrives against pace.

“I feel it was his choice. He made that choice not to attack the spinners. But that’s not the truth, as in he can’t hit spin. He can hammer spin. We have seen it before and even in the nets when we practice, he can hammer that. But he took a different approach today — that was very smart on him and congratulations to him.” Chakravarthy, who played a crucial role in the win with two wickets in an over to break Rajasthan Royals’ momentum and returned figures of 2/32, also revealed that he has been working on a new seam-up delivery—something he used to good effect in the Powerplay against India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.

“I started working on it just before the Champions Trophy so that I can bring something new because I end up bowling the Powerplay, so the ball is more newer and can swing,” he explained.

“So I just thought I can bowl one or two balls that can swing in and out. So that was the thought behind it,” added Chakravarthy who was India’s leading wicket-taker with nine scalps in their victorious Champions Trophy campaign earlier in March.

With five wins from 11 games, KKR now must win all three of their remaining matches to stand a chance of making the playoffs.

Chakravarthy said the team has adopted a knockout mindset.

“We have to win all the matches so it becomes knockouts for us. We have the mindset that we have to win five knockout matches — every game is a knockout game, we have to bring our A-game here. Good that we have got a win.” “Such wins will give us momentum and self-belief that we can pull off tight matches, and this is exactly what we needed at this time. So, from here, I am hopeful that we can pull off the next three matches. We have done it before. So, no excuses from us.” 

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