Debasis Sen: What was Andre Russell doing alone at the Eden Gardens on the eve of IPL 2023 game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday? The big Jamaican was still batting in the middle against the net bowlers, long after all his teammates were back in the change room. In a bid to get back to scoring big runs, Russell is not leaving any stone unturned. Despite having already spent about an hour in the nets, he was seen batting again against the net bowlers.
Russell’s form is bothering the KKR think-tank, and he can sense it especially with players like Jason Roy, David Wiese and Litton Das all waiting for an opportunity to play.
As far as the playing XI is concerned for the SRH game, there is very little chance that Chandrakant Pandit, the KKR head coach, will tinker with a winning combination. The veteran coach had a team meeting at the ground after the practice session. Each senior member was asked to share their views, so that everyone could get involved.
Jason Roy did bat for a long time but there is no guarantee that he will be drafted in to the playing XI for Friday’s game.
The general mood in the KKR camp is good with the players enjoying their roles. Captain Nitish Rana was seen having a chat with Sunil Narine. Venky Mysore, the CEO, has been a regular visitor during practice sessions. He was seen discussing a thing or two with Pandit.
With Eden Gardens expected to be packed to the rafters for the Boisakhi holiday fixture, the crowd would be hoping to see another thrilling Rinku Singh knock.
As far as Sunrisers Hyderabad are concerned, the onus is very much on the South African trio. Apart from Aiden Markram, the captain, Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen should both play, having spent a lot of time in the nets over the last two days at the Eden Gardens. Whether Harry Brook, England’s new batting sensation, is persisted with remains to be seen.
Dale Steyn, Hyderbad’s fast bowling coach, was seen working overtime with Umran Malik, who could enjoy what is likely to be a bouncy pitch. A cracking contest is expected in front of a huge crowd, with both teams looking to build on victories in their previous outings.