[caption id="attachment_13316" align="alignnone" width="580"]Russell Andre Russell after his match winning effort against Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday. Image Source: Xtra Time[/caption] Kolkata: Andre Russell once again proved why he is regarded as the best all-rounder in contemporary cricket. The Jamaican is now the holder of purple caps with the most wickets in the league. Apart from his explosive batting, he can be relied upon with his medium pace bowling. He comes across as a package in the T20 format. Immediately after his Man of the Match-winning performance in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ seven-run victory over the Kings XI Punjab, Russell revealed his target as a cricketer. “I want to set the bar as high as possible”. Russell, while answering a question on the workload he takes for his team, said: “This is what I work hard for… I know my job is not easy, it’s difficult. Today I batted till the end, came out to bowl the first over and then bowled the last over too. But I don’t mind that. “As a cricketer, I want to leave a legacy… I want to set the bar as high as possible. I enjoy my workload and I’m trying to go from strength to strength.” Russell normally bats in the middle order or a bit lower. But his recent exploits have helped him climb up the order. “I don’t really have a problem if I get to bat in the last five overs with the team placed in a good position. That only gives me the confidence to go for my shots. At the end of the day, yes, I will appreciate if I get more time to bat. But at the same time, I am happy with whatever the captain wants me to do. Always happy to help the team,” Russell said. And what really is the secret of his success?  “I think playing in different tournaments in different parts of the world has really helped me. Like here, I have Wasim Akram and Jacques Kallis who help me a lot in improving my game. I am happy to be a part of the IPL. I love to hit sixes and I love to take wickets. If people love me for that, it’s great.” Having been a certainty in the Knights’ XI in this IPL, Russell didn’t hide the fact that having a guaranteed place in the team does help him in his performance. “Knowing that I will be playing the next game, helps my confidence… It makes me comfortable and I don’t have to worry about my place in the team. That means a lot,” Russell said. Knights’ principal owner Shah Rukh Khan was in the stands on Wednesday. Was there a message from him before the match? Russell only had praise for the superstar. “He just said ‘all the best’… We know that win or lose, he is always there to support us. With him as the owner, we have a good environment in the team. It is good to have a guy like that around. He is like a motivator for me.”

Shahrukh is like a motivator for me : Russell