Left-arm tempo vs Russell’s Intellect, Muscle, and Margins

At first glance, it seems like a no-brainer that Andre Russell struggles against left-arm pacers.

The statistics speak for themselves: he has a strike rate of 181 against them in the IPL, and 185 in all T20 cricket.

So, when Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh were tasked with bowling the final overs against Russell and KKR, it appeared to be a routine task for them to secure victory.

However, Russell’s approach to facing left-arm pace was not just about pure strength, but also his batting intelligence and self-awareness that made the difference.

As Curran bowled the 19th over with only 25 runs to defend, the plan was clear: force Russell to hit towards the longer boundary, which measured 71 meters on that day.

Charl Langeveldt, the bowling coach of Punjab Kings, explained after the game that the strategy was to defend the field dimensions and land the ball outside Russell’s hitting zone.

It was not just about restricting Russell’s power, but also using the dimensions of the field to their advantage.

Adding to the intrigue was the recent history between the two players.

In the previous match between the teams earlier in the season, Curran had given away 11 runs in just three deliveries to Russell before finally dismissing him with a slower short ball that Russell failed to clear over the longer boundary in Mohali, which measured 72 meters – just a meter longer than the boundary in Kolkata on this occasion.

During the match at Eden Gardens on May 8th, Sam Curran’s first deliveries to Andre Russell were in his hitting zone.

It was expected that Russell would hit them for sixes, and he did just that, effortlessly launching them over the longer boundary.

Russell explained that he flicked one ball, which surprisingly ended up in the stands, and those two sixes gave KKR the momentum going into the next over.

Later in the over, Curran bowled a slower short ball, which he had previously used to dismiss Russell in Mohali.

However, this time the ball was wider outside off, making it more challenging for Russell. Yet, he cleverly played it towards the off-side and cut it for another six.

Russell described the six over point as the icing on the cake. He explained that Sam Curran had been bowling into his body, attempting to make him hit to the larger side of the ground, which was part of their team plan.

However, Russell had already hit two sixes to that side, and he knew Curran wouldn’t bowl in that area again. He anticipated a change in Curran’s plan and, when he bowled a short ball, Russell missed out.

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But when Curran bowled a slower cutter into the wicket, Russell gave himself little room and used his hands to get it over the field towards the smaller side of the ground.

Russell remarked that hitting the ball to the smaller side of the ground was not part of Punjab Kings’ plan.

He emphasized that when a batter conquers a team’s bowling plan, the batter is often in control of Plan B.

Russell’s decision to hit the third six off Curran was a calculated move, knowing that more left-arm pace was to follow.

He wanted to ensure that KKR went into the last over with the least runs to get, as he recognized that Punjab Kings’ left-arm seamer was a very good death bowler.

Russell explained that 2-3 dot balls could easily turn the pressure back on them.

Although Arshdeep had only five runs to defend, he managed to put the pressure back on KKR, presenting a different challenge for their batters.

Arshdeep is taller than Curran, can bowl closer to the stumps, and is quicker, often nailing his yorkers.

This isn’t to suggest that he is better than Curran, the most expensive player in IPL, but the scope of Arshdeep’s bowling demanded different tactics, as Russell had anticipated and eventually experienced.

Arshdeep’s tactics in the final over were spot on. He began by deceiving Russell with a bouncer when the field had been set for toe-crushers, and then settled into a nice line with his yorkers.

He bowled them across Russell from over-the-wicket, landing them just inside the tramline.

Although he wasn’t able to land all of them, the wide lines outside off-stump gave him enough margin for error, making it difficult for Russell to reach out and slog them over the shorter boundary.

Consequently, Russell squeezed them out and came back for two runs.

Russell’s decision to run the bye on the penultimate ball to get Rinku Singh on strike for the last ball could have resulted in him being run-out.

However, Russell explained that the angle of the delivery coming into Rinku made it easier for him because the ball was tailing away from him.

Additionally, Arshdeep was also nailing his yorkers wide, making it a smart decision to take the risk and try to get Rinku on strike.

The situation could have gone horribly wrong for KKR. They needed two runs off the final ball, and had it not been for Rinku, the result could have ended in defeat, possibly ending their season.

However, when asked if he regretted his decision to run the bye, Russell replied that he had confidence in Rinku.

Russell said that in any other game with any other batter, he wouldn’t have been sure if he should run, as he would back himself to bat the last delivery and get the job done.

But with Rinku, who had been successful in the last couple of overs, it made sense to take the risk.

Russell praised Rinku for being a fearless player, who could counter any ball bowled to him.

Russell hugged Rinku and told him to bring home the beacon for KKR, as they needed him at that point. Rinku confidently replied, “no worries man.”

Despite the thrilling victory for KKR, many questions remain about PBKS’s tactics against Russell.

For instance, why did Russell not face more spin on a dry track at Eden, where spinners had outperformed the pacers?

Additionally, with the knowledge of Russell’s troubles against leg spin this season, why was Rahul Chahar bowled out so early?

And why was Harpreet Brar only given one over to bowl? The only known answer is that Shikhar Dhawan’s side was outmaneuvered by Russell, not just through his bat swing but also his ability to think on his feet.