Andre Russell Picks Best Moment Of His Career: 'Against India Where...'
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has picked his match-winning cameo in the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final against India as the best moment of his career. Russell smashed 43 (20) with three boundaries and four sixes at a strike-rate of 215 as the Windies chased down 193 with seven wickets to spare to reach the final.
The all-rounder recently announced that he'll retire from international cricket after the first two T20Is against Australia on his home ground at Sabina Park in Jamaica. A globe-trotter of franchise competitions, he has so far played 84 T20Is, 56 ODIs and a Test for the Windies for over 2000 runs and 132 wickets.
'Definitely [my best moment was] the 2016 World Cup, that semi-final game against India where I brought the team home, me and Lendl Simmons, and obviously the start that we got from the other batters," Russell said in an interview with the Cricket West Indies (CWI).
'Chasing 190-plus in that semi-final in India, with the crowd supporting India only, that was already a bit of pressure, but the wicket was a very good wicket, so the confidence that we had in the changing room and the batters that were left to come, it gave me the freedom and the confidence to go out and play the role that I did," Russel, who also took Rahane's wicket in the match, added.
India, the hosts of the competition, paid the price of being too circumspect with their batting. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane hit 40s but at strike rates of 138 and 114, respectively. Virat Kohli, who was on a generational run of form, hit 89 off 47 and MS Dhoni a 15 to give the score some respectability.
However, the dew at the Wankhede Stadium was always going to make it easier to chase. Johnson Charles set up the chase with a fifty before Lendl Simmons (82 off 51) and Russell finished things off. India had their chances with the ball, too, but no-balls and poor fielding didn't help their case.
The Darren Sammy-led Men in Maroon went on to win the title, their second in the format, by beating England in a memorable final at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Russel was the joint seventh-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with nine at 21. With the bat, his 43 against India made up more than half of his total runs in the tournament — 91.
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