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On 8th April, two biggest rivals in the IPL will face each other. The match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. 

Ahead of the match, an old video of MS Dhoni talking about the dangerous Andre Russell resurfaced. In the video, he spoke how he needs to go through the full nightmare of Russell. Dhoni also joked about how he wanted to keep fielders outside the ground for Russell. 

So I need to go through the full nightmare you know, I need to remember that (Andre) Russell innings. You’re given 9 fielders, four fielders are inside the circle, there are the keeper and bowler and the remaining fielders are outside the circle. No one is allowed outside the ground. Kaun aisa banda hai jo itne chakka marta hai? (What kind of person hits that many sixes?)  MS Dhoni to Star Sports

The innings referenced by Dhoni was the battering Russell gave in the 2018 IPL. In that match, Russell hit an incredible 88 off 36 at Chepauk, helping KKR score 202 runs. His innings saw only one boundary, but 11 sixes. Luckily, CSK won that match as they chased down the target with a ball to spare. 

Ishant Sharma talks about his brutal yorker to Andre Russell 

On 3rd April, Kolkata Knight Riders faced Delhi Capitals and smashed them for 272 runs in the first innings. It was the 2nd highest total in the history of the IPL, just five short of SRH’s 277. In that innings, Andre Russell played a huge part, as he smashed the DC pacers for 41 runs in 19 balls. His innings came to an end thanks to a brutal yorker by Ishant Sharma that left the Jamaican on the ground. 

Ahead of their match with MI, Sharma explained his thought process behind the yorker and how he executed it. Already slapped with a penalty for a slow over rate, DC had to keep only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle, but he only thought about bowling the yorker. 

All I think about is to execute all balls according to my plans. I don’t think about field-set, ground dimensions, who’s batting in front of me, nothing like that. I just think about the particular ball and I have to execute that.  Ishant Sharma to IPL

DC ended up losing that match by 106 runs, as they were bowled out for only 166. Currently, KKR are 2nd in the points table while DC sit last. 

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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