IPL 2021: 'Learned a lot from Chris Gayle' - Andre Russell reveals how Gayle helped him overcome fear of getting out

Andre Russell is arguably the most destructive player going around in world cricket. He might not be very consistent but on his day, he will put the best bowlers into shambles. Tall and muscular, Russell loves to hit sixes. In conversation with his KKR teammates Shakib Al Hasan and Venkatesh Iyer, Russell revealed Chris Gayle helped him overcome the fear of getting dismissed while attempting a six.

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“I learned a lot from Chris Gayle. He said that I am afraid of getting out on the boundary, so I rather hit the ball over the boundary, like far back, make sure it’s a six,” Russell added.

Russell also said he works out a lot to gain the strength needed to hit those lusty blows. “I would like to do 20 to 30 pushups every day, just to keep my body strength going. Because hitting those sixes, 100 meters or more, I might do it for a couple of times a year, but hitting those sixes consistently, it takes consistent work.”

“At the point of contact, most of the time, I try to make sure that everything goes to the ball. Some guys, they look to time the ball. They keep their shape, and they want the ball to go over the ropes. I want to hit the ball so hard that they end up getting a new ball,” Russell said.

The West Indians are known for their six-hitting abilities and it’s no surprise to see them dominating the list of most sixes in T20 cricket. The 'Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle leads the charts of most sixes in T20 cricket, with 1042 sixes in 448 matches, followed by another West Indian Kieron Pollard, who has 758 sixes in 567 matches. Russell is third on the list with 510 sixes in 382 matches.

Meanwhile, Russell, who missed the last few games for KKR due to a hamstring injury, is expected to be back for the Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore.